Penumbra
by sealunacy
Summary: Slight AU! KagaKuro. Side GenKuro. Starts Pre-Teikou. Before the championship game, the phantom sixth player was said to have disappeared forever. Though, no one really understands Kuroko for real. It turns out he has a lot more hidden potential than people took him for.
1. Chapter 1

_Slight AU! Starts Pre-Teikou. Before the championship game, the phantom sixth player was said to have disappeared forever. Not even his teammates knows where he has mysteriously run off to, until that is, rumors start that he's attending Seirin High. Kuroko Tetsuya quit serious basketball for good but his specialty and near talent in passing is a valued and sought after asset. Though, no one really understands Kuroko for real. It turns out he has a lot more hidden potential than people took him for. _

_Kagami/Kuroko main. Slight Gen/Kuroko. _

_Rating pending. T+ - M._

**a.n/ **This originally came from the idea of, what if Kuroko was a just as good or better player than the Generation of Miracles? I was iffy with the idea at first because wouldn't that diminish his original way of basketball? But then I figured just because he's a better player, doesn't mean his principle has to change. So since this is kind of an AU, there will be slight changes made. This story will briefly be starting pre-Teikou before going on to Seirin, where the plot actually starts. The whole pre-Seirin thing was only supposed to be a small part but I uh got into it. So the next chapter will be going into Teikou a bit before the actual plot starts. Bear with me, it is necessary.

**Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Kuroko no Basuke. **

* * *

**Chapter 1.** _Sorry, but you can't beat me._

The first time Kuroko encountered basketball was also the first time he discovered he had a talent for it.

On the street outside his family home, during a warm summer mid-day in a small neighborhood in Tokyo started the beginning of his prowess. It was the summer vacation of his fourth year in elementary school, the streets were littered with hordes of kids playing and frolicking about.

Kuroko Tetsuya was not one of these kids.

He was a frail boy, thin and petite for his age with no experience in sports or any outstanding qualities whatsoever. Most of the time during summer break, he spent his time indoors reading or playing video games. Kuroko didn't have many friends either, so it was a solitary summer for the most part besides his family. His mother worried relentlessly about her socially isolated son and would rant on about how it wasn't healthy for boys his age to be alone, that no one in their family ever had the same problem.

So, as a solution to make Kuroko more social, she would force him outside at least three times a week. It didn't do much for a while, since there was no guarantee Kuroko was just going to up and suddenly make friends. Not to mention his presence itself was already barely there, the entire block hardly noticed him passing by.

Kuroko didn't mind his mother's unyielding attempts, he knew she meant well, plus she always gave him money for milkshakes. Most of the time, he just walked to Maji burger for a vanilla milkshake and patrolled around the block until an appropriate amount of time passed for him to come back and seem like he made an effort. It wasn't that he purposefully avoided people, they just took no notice of him. His presence was so transparent that even his parents lost track of him sometimes. One time, he disappeared for so long that his father called the police and they came to their house. Turns out, Kuroko was in the living room the whole time but nobody noticed. After that he got a scolding, even though he was in plain sight on the couch the whole time watching television.

One day, at around noon, Kuroko was on one of his strolls around the neighborhood after his mother forcibly kicked him out again. He sipped on the last remaining drops of his vanilla milkshake with a loud slurp and crushed the empty cup in his hand. He was passing by a park filled with children his age, obviously no one paid attention to him even though quite a few of them were in his class. The boy looked around until he spotted a trashcan a good distance away.

Compressing the plastic cup as tightly as he could in a ball formed by his hands, Kuroko eyed the perfect curvature path to make as he made the shot. The crumpled up cup flew in-between two branches of a cherry blossom tree before falling perfectly into the barely big enough opening at the top of the trash can.

Kuroko was surprised, it was the first time he ever tried anything like that and it got in. He was sure he'd miss, even most adults wouldn't be able to make that shot. Not too far off, a couple of grown-ups were saying, "Hey, did you see that flying piece of garbage? It came out of nowhere!" They didn't know who made the shot, only that it took incredible skill to make it.

At this moment, Kuroko felt a little pride twinge in him. He never really got complimented for much.

A distant echo of dribbling was within earshot as he noticed the basketball court within the park's premises.

As he walked over, Kuroko saw that they were boys from his class playing a game. Kuroko never saw basketball up close, but something compelled him to go over there and take a look. No sports ever interested him before but this one seemed to draw him in.

He stood leaning against the gate, watching their game while unconsciously taking note of their skills, habits, and the best play to make for each situation. It was weird, he didn't even know the rules but he knew what to do.

One kid swatted the ball out of the opposing team's hand, sending it bouncing in the direction of the open gate where Kuroko was standing. The pale boy leaned down and picked it up when it reached his feet.

His classmates all stopped to look at him, only noticing his company now for the first time. "Hey, isn't that Kuroko?"

"What? The kid in the back who never talks? What is _he_ doing here?"

The biggest kid on the court was a boy named Wataru. He stared at Kuroko like he was the puniest and most insignificant thing he'd ever seen.

"Do you want to play?" Wataru asked while the other boys looked appalled by his words.

"What – are you crazy, Wataru? He probably never even played before in his life."

"Well, we're still short one player… Adding him would make it even."

"I know how to play." Kuroko interjected.

"Alright," he nodded. "You'll be on Riku's team. Let's go, guys! 2 - 8 in our favor. Your ball." As the other team moved to their defending positions, Kuroko could feel the glares from his teammates all landing on him.

The boy named Riku, also the team's captain, strode over to Kuroko and snatched the ball from his hands. In a clenched whisper he said, "You better not screw us up, Kuroko. Wataru's only letting you play because he knows he can beat you."

Kuroko looked up blankly at the taller boy. "We'll just have to prove him wrong then."

His teammates scoffed, some even snickered at him for no reason. "Just stay out of my way, I'll win this thing."

With that kind of attitude towards his comrades, no wonder he was losing. "I thought basketball was supposed to be a team sport." Kuroko said.

His team ignored him.

Kuroko may have only observed basketball for five minutes, but he felt he had a pretty good understanding of it. Individual ability made the difference, but it was the team play that was the deciding factor in what made a strong team. But then again, Kuroko didn't know where he was getting his data from.

The first ten minutes passed by fairly quickly. Wataru was the best player, scoring the majority of the points for his team and being a major show-off about it. It was becoming very clear that it was a battle between two captains for glory and the difference in ability was overwhelming. In that entire period, no one passed to Kuroko. The quarter ended 22 – 5.

At this point, Kuroko felt confident his hypothesis on basketball was right. "Excuse me." He said to one of his teammates. "Can you pass me the ball?"

"Hah? Why should I? You'll just let them take it."

"I won't." His clear blue eyes were unwavering. "Please. At this rate, we'll lose the game." Kuroko didn't play many sports, but the thought of losing was unsettling.

The game started up again with their ball, the kid from before finally passed it to Kuroko. The other team reacted slowly, they completely forgot about his existence. It gave Kuroko plenty of time to shoot it in from the outside. The ball flew in perfectly through the center of the hoop, just like the plastic cup in the trash can.

One boy let his jaw drop in astonishment. "How the hell did that get in?"

"Lucky shot…" Wataru muttered.

The game continued on. Ever since that first shot went in, the passes to Kuroko were getting more and more frequent, at least when they could detect him. Often he'd have to call out to them so they'd know where his position his. Eventually Kuroko realized you could steal the ball from the other team, so long as you didn't grab it directly from their hands. Passes to Kuroko were no longer necessary since he managed to steal the ball at every opportunity. But as time went on, they slowly got used to his presence and eventually almost all passes were being directed towards Kuroko. Nevertheless he knew he wasn't alone and still remembered to pass to his other teammates. He wasn't going to be like Wataru or Riku, hogging the ball and glory.

It soon became evident that Kuroko was a better player than any of them, and his team took advantage of this, except Riku, who bitterly still tried to score on his own.

The game ended 26 – 42.

"We won! That was amazing, Kuroko! You the man!" His teammates began chanting his name and swarming him with inquiries. When did you start playing basketball? Were you always this good? Kuroko! Kuroko!

They then realized, amidst all the celebration (and moping from the other team), that Kuroko had vanished.

"Hey, where'd he go?"

"Che. Who cares… I never should've let him play." The tall kid kicked the garbage can on the curb.

Kuroko had slipped out from amongst his team's celebratory congratulations and appeal to his skills. He was a naturally shy boy, all that activeness and victory was exhilarating, but it still made him feel uneasy to be under such a spotlight. Maybe because he was so unused to it. It was like a shadow dissolving after it had lived in the darkness for years.

There was a pounding in his rib cage, the game was long over but the adrenaline and thrill stayed the same. What was this feeling he had? This tingling on his fingertips where he could still feel the ball's surface, the feeling of his lungs out of breath and the sweat cooling on his skin from the late afternoon breeze. This first taste of victory, and a thirst in the back of his throat that desired more.

When he went home, his mother was so happy to find that her son had managed to play with a bunch of other boys that she promised to buy him a present from the department store the next day. Kuroko bought a basketball and a pair of brand new basketball shoes.

* * *

Not too long after, Kuroko's mother enrolled him at a junior basketball club at the local community centre. Since it was summer, there were a lot of kids from all around that he didn't know. It was the biggest sports-orientated community centre in the district, they were especially famous for their soccer program. Apparently there was some really talented boy the same age as Kuroko. He didn't get to see who it was though, every time he walked by the soccer club, there was always a horde of girls blocking the door.

The junior basketball club wasn't a serious gig, they generally had a 'have fun go-to' attitude, and didn't pay much attention to polishing their skills. It was always the same drills and friendly practice matches. The overall level among the kids around his age was way too low and Kuroko completely obliterated them all. There were even some of his classmates from the first time he played at the park. It didn't matter, whatever team Kuroko was on won.

His obvious talent above all the other kids didn't go unnoticed by the coach and Kuroko was invited to play at the junior league basketball tournament with the official team. At first his mother didn't approve, she couldn't imagine her delicate little boy playing with all those huge kids. But Kuroko was resolute about playing at a higher level. He needed more of a challenge, someone to test his capability on.

The junior basketball team consisted of tall well-built kids that looked way older than they actually were. Everyone was older than Kuroko except one guy, the tallest of their team.

Murasakibara was freakishly tall for his age, had abnormally long limbs and above all, loved basketball more than anyone else.

He was always eating sweets and Kuroko wondered if that's what you had to eat to get so tall.

Since they were both the youngest, Kuroko and Murasakibara got along pretty well, although appearance wise they were the oddest duo of the shortest and tallest.

Murasakibara was a fast and swift player, despite his large lanky size. He was the sort of kid that was made for basketball, a born once in a decade prodigy, his raw talent wasn't something to kid about. He'd been playing since he was five and was considered a phenomenon of his generation. Kuroko had found the challenge he was looking for in Murasakibara.

It was on the first day of practice that Kuroko approached the much taller boy with a request. "Excuse me, Murasakibara-kun."

Murasakibara turned as his name was called and had to crane his neck all the way down. "Oh, Kuro-chin, it's you. I thought it was a ghost for a second." He ruffled the other's pale blue hair in a doting manner.

Kuroko went straight down to business. "Please have a one-on-one match with me."

The other halted his ministrations to Kuroko's hair and cocked his head perturbed. "Huh?"

"Please have a one-on-one match with me." He repeated solidly.

Murasakibara made an appealing noise as a finger tapped against his chin. He then stared down into Kuroko's clear blue eyes and said after a long contemplation, "… I don't fight against weak people."

"That won't be a problem."

After everyone else left, those two stayed for their awaited clash.

"… You're kinda weird, Kuro-chin." Murasakibara said while finishing off a snack. "Usually I can tell if someone's any good or not, but you're just… nothing."

"I've been told I don't have much of a presence." And the game began.

Kuroko was still a beginner, but he'd been polishing his basic skills ever since he bought that basketball. In the first ten minutes, Kuroko had a score of zero while Murasakibara's scores escalated. After twenty minutes, Kuroko learned a way to crack Murasakibara's impenetrable defense. Thirty minutes and Kuroko formed a strong defense of his own against the other. By the last second to when forty minutes had passed, the points were tied.

Murasakibara was stunned because it was the first time anybody ever managed to keep up with him like that. The purple-haired basketball lover was absolutely _thrilled_ by this new encounter. He admitted to Kuroko that basketball was starting to get boring after winning became so easy. What he needed was a challenge and Kuroko was the one who saved him.

It became a mutually beneficial relationship. They both held conjoint respect for each other's talent and love for basketball and soon became good friends.

It was late afternoon, club activities and practice were over for the day, but Kuroko and Murasakibara usually stayed behind so they could train and challenge each other. Out of everyone on their team, nobody matched up to their skill level, so they were the only ones who could push each other to the limit.

They just spent hours in a constant one-on-one battle. Murasakibara sat against the wall exhausted and drenched in sweat. "Nn… 'm tired and hungry. Let's take a break. I want something sweet…" Even though he said that, he was still dribbling a ball next to him.

"I'm going to go buy a Pocari. Do you want anything?" Kuroko asked.

Murasakibara nibbled at the edge of his fingernail. "Mn… Me too. Take my money from my bag and get me Konnyaku jelly too."

"I sometimes wonder how you got so tall just by eating sweets." Kuroko said aloud while rummaging through his bag.

The purple-haired boy shrugged. "Because I wanted to be better at basketball."

Kuroko smiled.

The vending machines in the center didn't have the jelly Murasakibara wanted, so Kuroko had to go to the convenience store outside the building, which was practically next door.

While walking through the entrance of the store, Kuroko accidentally bumped into someone else. It wasn't unusual for the pint-sized lad, people bumped into him on a daily basis. "Oh hey, sorry, didn't see you there."

Kuroko looked up and saw a tall blonde with golden eyes and a pretty face.

The blonde boy had a dazzling smile that made him even more handsome. "Hey, I know you. You're Kuroko, right?"

Kuroko blinked. "I'm… sorry. I don't remember you."

The boy laughed. "Aw, how can you not remember this handsome face ~" He had a toothy grin that showed off all his pearly whites. It was more overwhelming than watching a tooth paste commercial. "Well, I wouldn't really have expected you to recognize me. We've never met, have we?" He tilted his head playfully. "Name's Kise Ryouta, athlete, model, playboy, at your service~"

Kuroko studied the other's uniform and ignored most of what was said. His clothes were from the community soccer team. He put two and two together and it struck him. "Ah… You're that famous soccer player. The one they call a prodigy."

Kise waved him off, chuckling in embarrassment. "Haha, no way. Those are just rumours over exaggerating themselves. I'm just a normal guy, you see."

It didn't seem like that way to Kuroko. There was something about this guy that gave off the same feeling as Murasakibara.

"Um… How do you know me?" Kuroko asked.

"Eh? That's 'cause you're famous! You and Murasakibaracchi! Both of you are known as basketball legends around here, dontcha know?"

_Murasakibaracchi… ? _"I didn't realize. But they're probably exaggerating about me. I only started playing in the summer."

Kise gaped at him. "_Ehh?_ Seriously? Wow, you must be something." He beamed at the shorter with such vibrant intensity that it was starting to make Kuroko uncomfortable. He wasn't used to such admiration from a complete stranger, especially one who was a child model and star athlete too.

"Sorry, but can you move? I have to buy something for Murasakibara-kun."

"_Geez_ ~, you're a pretty cold kid, aren't you?" Kise pouted childishly. "So you're choosing Murasakibaracchi over me… Hey! You're headed to the gymnasium, right? I'll walk back with you."

Kuroko wanted to say it wasn't necessary, but it was difficult to refuse such earnest enthusiasm. So he nodded and agreed.

Kise was a very talkative and active child, always having something to say to fill up the silence and acting all overdramatic when the opportunity arose. He could easily be a successful actor too, was what Kuroko thought.

Eventually the three of them, Kuroko, Murasakibara, and Kise started getting along and hanging out over the summer. They even practiced together. Kuroko and Murasakibara continued their one-on-one sessions while Kise practiced his soccer techniques, or he just sat out on the sidelines and watched their game. He always cheered for Kuroko.

"Kise-kun, why do you play soccer?"

Kise looked up from his leg where he was balancing a soccer ball. "Hm… Why? Well, because it's fun and I'm good at it." He began bouncing the ball in an even rhythm against the top of his knee. "I can fight strong opponents and I still always win my games."

"I heard you're good at other sports too." Kuroko said. He sat on the bench with Murasakibara watching Kise perform tricks with the ball.

"Mn… Yeah. I can play any sport, but I just play soccer here because the coach asked me to."

Kuroko nodded slowly. "… I don't think I could play any other sport besides basketball."

Murasakibara munched on his crackers loudly. "You should play basketball, Kise-chin."

Kise snorted through a grin. "Nah ~ I don't think I'll ever get into basketball. I'll just stick to soccer."

By the end of the summer, Kuroko and Murasakibara won the tournament by a landslide. Kise won his tournament too, but everyone expected it. It then turned out Murasakibara lived far away and was only visiting here for the summer, so he went back with farewells and promises to keep in contact. Kise didn't live nearly as far, but he suddenly got busier with his new contract with a major modeling agency for young models. Normally, Kuroko didn't mind when summer vacation ended. But this time he was sad to see his summer go.

Kuroko's passion for basketball didn't stop with Murasakibara and the community centre though. As soon as he returned to school, Kuroko joined the basketball club. With his skill set, he quickly got a regular position on the team and very soon became the ace. They didn't play too many serious tournaments since it was only elementary school, and so it was getting harder for Kuroko to find a worthy opponent since Murasakibara left. But he didn't spend the year slacking off just because he was better than everybody else. He trained hard so that next summer he could face off Murasakibara, who was also definitely working hard.

Fifth year came and Kuroko spent his summer the same as last year, playing against Murasakibara and hanging out with Kise. Now that Kise had a steady schedule, he visited Kuroko every chance he got, even when Kuroko didn't even invite him.

They won the tournament this year too. But right before the summer ended, the coach approached Kuroko with a foreigner.

"Kuroko-kun, this is Herb from the Young Athletes Association over in America. I made an inquiry about you at the beginning of the year and they've invited you to join their foreign exchange program next summer." The coach smiled. "It's for the whole two months next year, I've already asked your parents and they've agreed to go. Isn't that great?"

Kuroko noticed nobody asked whether he wanted to go in the first place or not, they just automatically assumed he did. Murasakibara got the same offer but his family wouldn't go abroad. Kuroko didn't really want to go. He wanted to stay and spend his precious summers with his friends.

His mother was coaxed by a lot of persuasion into agreeing to go with Kuroko to America. Fifth year passed and Kuroko transitioned into the sixth year. For the first time in a while, he was not looking forward to summer break.

"Why the long face? You should be excited – you're going to _L.A_! You know what that means, foreign beach babes!"

That didn't console Kuroko much.

"No thanks. I'd much rather stay." Kuroko didn't understand why he had to travel overseas to play basketball when he could do it in the comfort of his own country.

Kise sighed dramatically and draped an arm over Kuroko's thin shoulders. "I know, I know, you'll miss me _terribly_ and that's why you don't want to leave. I guess I'll never understand the pain I bring to others with the lack of my presence." He swooned back onto Kuroko's bed.

Although Kise could be annoying sometimes, Kuroko had to admit that he was kind of funny occasionally. And he always had this special gift to make someone feel better. You could say his stupidity was infectious. But thankfully, Kuroko was mostly immune.

"It won't be the same without you!" Kise suddenly despaired while tackling Kuroko to the bed in a hug. "Promise you won't cheat on me with some American girl!" His fake sobs could be felt against Kuroko's stomach.

Kuroko felt uncomfortable and tried to get up but Kise was too heavy for him, so he propped himself up on his elbows because that was the extent of how much Kise was letting him sit up. "We're not dating. Can you please get off me?"

Kise replied by tightening his hold around Kuroko's waist. "You'll be so lonely without me that you'll go off looking for some prettier girl."

"You're not a girl, Kise-kun." Kuroko tried to wiggle his way out of the death grip he was entrapped in, but to no avail. "I won't be lonely either." He said that, but in all honesty, he was going to be just a tad lonesome. He wasn't going to say that in front of Kise though.

Kuroko suddenly pondered at this awkward moment why the young model never had a girlfriend when he could so easily obtain one. He was always going on about girls and such, but Kuroko never actually saw him with one that wasn't a fan.

As he was about to continue with that thought, a cramp started to form in his leg, so he hit Kise on the head.

* * *

Before now, Kuroko had never ridden a plane in his entire life, so he didn't know what to expect. He heard some people experienced airsickness while in the air, but he never figured he'd be one of those people. The take-off came as a shock to his body, good thing he grabbed the airsick bag just in time.

The rest of the ride was fairly okay. Kuroko wasn't a restless child, he enjoyed sitting and entertaining himself quietly. The need to puke his guts out didn't arise again until landing.

They were staying in a compact studio apartment with one bedroom and a sofa-bed in the living room. America felt so strange to Kuroko who only learned the bare minimum of English before coming here. He wondered how he was going to communicate with the rest of his team if he couldn't speak English properly.

While his mother rested off the jet lag, Kuroko decided to explore the surrounding area and the nearby community centre.

The small Japanese boy sure felt out of place, even though nobody noticed him. The one thing that felt familiar was all the basketball courts and sporting areas, which seemed to be numerous in this part of the city. Everyone played with such vigour, as expected of America, basketball remained the same no matter where. Kuroko felt that itch to play growing again but most of the people playing were adults or big kids and they wouldn't take a child seriously. Even though Kuroko could probably beat them. And then of course there was the language barrier, which was a pretty important factor actually.

Kuroko wandered around the basketball courts with the desire to hold a ball gnawing at him. He felt more homesick than he did before and it was due to the constant reminder of basketball all around.

He kicked a stone on the ground and it reminded him of Kise. He sulked slightly as he walked.

It wasn't until he got a little farther did he see any kids his age. There was one group of young boys playing a fast paced game far off in the corner of a street. Curious, Kuroko walked over to the side of the chain link face so he could view at a better angle.

They were all fairly skilled players, better than his entire school's basketball team. There was one kid who clearly excelled above the rest, he was the only Asian. Kuroko wondered if he was Japanese.

He watched the game until the end. The red-head's team won apparently. Normally you'd expect them to all leave by now, but the tall red-head boy solely remained and continued to play by himself.

Kuroko found himself staying to watch. There was something quite entrancing about his form, there was no question he was gifted with natural talent, although his technique was still raw and needed plenty of shaping. He had potential, but still had far to go. What Kuroko enjoyed seeing the most was the smile that boy played with, even when he was all alone.

His hand was twitching to hold a basketball in his grasp again but he didn't bring one with him. He couldn't simply go up and ask to join in his practice though. Kuroko was still in the working stage of his English lessons. So he sat on a nearby bench and watched longingly until it was time to go back.

The first thing Kuroko went through at the camp was a basic fitness test. He hated these tests, mainly because he did horribly at them. Kuroko was a skilled player but his physical abilities were low. Although when he was playing, he always seemed to surpass his limits more than when he'd do normal exercise.

The coach at the American camp had a chubby face with stern eyes. There was an automatic detection of contempt in his demeanor the moment he laid eyes on Kuroko. "Okay! To start off, let's have a practice match." They divided them up based on their results from the fitness test to even it out. Kuroko ended up on the team with the kid who ranked first.

Kuroko could tell everybody here was at least above average in ability, but they were still lower than Murasakibara and Kise's level. Even the kid playing street ball the other day was better.

They started with a jump off between the tallest players. Kuroko's team got the ball.

As expected, nobody noticed or passed to Kuroko for the first ten minutes. Even the coach forgot about him and yelled at the other members to work harder.

"Um… Excuse me." Kuroko said to an American boy on his team. It was one of the only few English phrases in his dictionary. The words rolled off broken but it got his teammate's attention.

"Huh…?" The American boy turned around and jumped. "Woah! When were you – Hey, wait. Were you on my team the whole time?" He looked puzzled.

Kuroko didn't know how to respond to that in English, so he instead gestured to the ball the other boy was holding and held out open palms towards him, hoping the message was obvious enough.

It took him a second for it to sink in. "Oh… You want the ball? Sure… Here you go." He tossed the ball to Kuroko with a perplexed face. He was probably trying to figure out how he didn't notice him and why such a weak looking guy was here in the first place.

When the second quarter started, Kuroko held the ball for one second before speeding past four players and scoring it in the hoop.

The entire gymnasium was in a daze. The coach looked like his jaw was going to dislocate from his face. Kuroko was used to this. He made a mental note to figure out how to say, 'I was here the whole time', in English.

By the end of the day's hard work, their team won and Kuroko was rather pleased. It was a fun match, there were good players who loved basketball here.

As a congratulatory present, the coach had let him borrow a basketball from the inventory. Still, the man stared at Kuroko as though he was the eighth wonder of the world.

On his way back to the apartment, Kuroko decided to stop by the street courts for a little extra practice. He went to the same court as last time and saw that red-head boy playing alone again.

Kuroko contemplated going up to him this time. He stood around for fifteen minutes before heading back home.

The next one and a half month was filled with eating, sleeping, and training. There was a championship at the end they were aiming for and Kuroko was their starting player.

Every day Kuroko walked home from the centre, he passed by the basketball courts. And every time, he saw that red-head boy playing by himself.

The duration of the tournament was held during the third week of August. Kuroko's team won with high esteem from the tournament's sponsors. They even got their picture in a magazine, which Kuroko was not in because they forgot about him, even though he was the ace.

His mother was so proud of her son and cried about how he was growing up from the little boy she once knew. Mainly she was just happy to finally return to Japan. America wasn't suited to her.

Kuroko's flight back to Tokyo was the next morning, so as a sort of farewell to this place, he went out in the direction of the basketball courts again, just as he always did. The entire team had awarded him with the basketball they used at the championship game. It was signed by all the members of their team and the coach. Although the ball was a bit worn out, Kuroko appreciated it because it was the symbol of their hard work together.

He walked through the line of courts, all filled with various basketball lovers. Strangely, he didn't see that red-head boy anywhere today. But maybe it wasn't that strange, he'd been here every day since Kuroko could remember. He was due for a day off.

Kuroko dribbled to an empty court and worked on his driving skills. Not too shortly after he arrived, a bunch of older looking kids entered the court, talking amongst themselves and completely ignoring Kuroko's presence.

One of them walked into Kuroko, and only then did they finally notice the pale-haired boy. "What the – Ah! There's someone here!" He jumped back about two feet as though he saw a ghost.

"Hello." Kuroko said unfazed.

"There wasn't anyone here before. When did you get here?" A bulky boy sneered at him. "This is our court, shrimp. Scram!"

These boys were obviously speaking in English and Kuroko didn't understand a lick of what they said. He could decipher from their expressions and gestures though that they wanted him to leave. He stood adamantly in place. The smaller boy wasn't going to let himself get bullied out.

The bulky boy was getting visibly angry. He made a guffawing sound and glanced back at his friends with an expression of, 'can you believe this guy?' "Did you not hear me? I said scram, punk!" He pushed Kuroko with two hands and sent him tumbling down to the concrete.

They laughed at his pathetic state. "That's what you get!"

Kuroko winced slightly from the sudden fall and glared up at the one who pushed him. "That's going too far."

"Whaa? Did you say something?" He kicked one of Kuroko's legs. "Speak English, stupid! _English. _Or maybe I'll have to teach you a lesson on how we do things around here!" The boy lifted his foot above Kuroko's head with the intent to swing it down.

"HEY!" A voice erupted from the entrance at the gate. It was that very same tall boy with fiery red hair and eyes. He wore a rather scary expression. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" He stalked over to the group.

"Oh great, it's Taiga." Some of the boys looked like they wanted to leave now. "Relax, Taiga! We're just playing a little basketball."

"Doesn't look like basketball to me." He squared each one of them with a terrifying look. "I just saw you push this kid down!"

"Ugh, come on, who cares?" The bulky boy rolled his eyes. "You're such a buzzkill."

"Yeah, well I don't give a damn what you think. Now leave this poor kid alone!"

Kuroko appreciated Taiga defending him, but he didn't want to seem like some helpless victim in this situation.

"Geez, what's your problem?" The two were locked in an intense glowering contest before the bully broke it and said with spite, "Fine, you can play with your _new_ friend then." They stomped past him in a huff and some even bumped their shoulders against him as they left. When they were a good enough distance away, the bullies began running off laughing while shouting insults to the two in the court.

Taiga shot them all a scornful look. "Those guys… How can they say they were playing basketball?" He then turned to Kuroko with an outstretched hand. "You okay?"

Kuroko nodded and accepted the hand to help him up. "I'm fine. Thank you."

"Hey, you're Japanese?" He grinned down at him. "Same here. Name's Kagami Taiga, you can just call me Taiga."

"Taiga-kun. My name's Kuroko Tetsuya." After getting up on his feet again, his gaze wandered down a bit. "I'm sorry I've caused trouble for you."

"Hm?" He tilted his head before realizing what he meant. "Oh, you mean those guys." He snorted. "You don't have to apologize, those guys are jerks and they don't know the meaning of basketball anyways."

Kuroko caught sight of the ball in Taiga's hands.

"Would you play against me?"

Taiga arched a brow. "You mean like a one-on-one?" It was clear in his expression that he thought Kuroko wasn't anywhere near up to his level. "Uh… I guess. But I warn you, I'm not going to go easy on you." He said with eagerness in his eyes.

Kuroko smiled. "Sorry, but you can't beat me."

Taiga laughed at his words and grinned back. "Just how I like it."

With only exchanging names, they got right into the game. As Kuroko expected, Taiga was a very skilled player, the strongest Kuroko had faced in America so far. Kuroko's misdirection powers didn't work in a one-on-one battle, but even without that, Kuroko possessed great ability that required no use of his phantom presence. He and Taiga clashed continuously without a break, each scoring one after the other. There were was only a challenging silence between them with the sound of the ball bouncing against the pavement, the scruff of their shoes when they ran, and the swish of the hoop when they scored. They were on a high and their concentration was completely taken up by the other.

The end result eventually crowned Kuroko the winner by one point.

Nevertheless, Taiga was laughing after Kuroko delivered the final blow. "Man… That was… Amazing!" His laughs came out partly as pants. They both played a full game straight and were completely exhausted from driving each other over the edge. Kuroko, now that the adrenaline was seeping out of his body, was starting to waver on his skinny legs and fell breathless to the ground.

Taiga was absolutely beaming, it almost seemed like he was the one who won. "I can't remember the last time I played that intense since Tatsuya-nii left." He wiped the sweat running down his chin as a distant demeanor overcame him.

Still panting, Kuroko stared up at the other. "Your brother?"

He nodded. "Yeah, my older brother. He graduated this summer." He paused for a beat, unconsciously fingering the ring around his neck. "But you know, I think you'd beat him. And that's saying something, he was really strong!"

Kuroko didn't say anything for a while until he said, "I have to go."

"Huh? Oh. Yeah, it's getting pretty late." Taiga looked up at the orange sky where the sun was starting to set. "Damn, was it this time already?" His expression immediately changed to that of panic. "My mom's going to kill me if I don't get back soon!"

Taiga picked up his basketball on the ground and ran towards the gate. While leaving, he looked back over his shoulder at Kuroko with eyes scrunched close and a bright toothy smile. "I'll see you tomorrow, Tetsuya!"

Kuroko stared at his back's retreating figure with a slightly taken aback expression. Nobody besides his family ever called him by his first name before. It was probably Kagami's American habit, but still, Kuroko felt his face suddenly grow warmer. He figured it was due to the summer heat combined with all their previous activity.

The smile faded when the realization hit him. He was leaving the country tomorrow and Kagami didn't know. But by the time Kuroko thought of this, the red-head was nowhere in sight. Kuroko didn't see what direction he went off, or even know some way of contacting him. Plus, Kuroko had to get home too or else his mother would have a fit.

All the way back, Kuroko was heavy with guilt and regret that he would never see him again. His mother was waiting in the living room with a scolding.

* * *

Their plane left in the morning, but the night before, Kuroko got an idea. He asked his mom before they left for the airport if he could run over to the basketball court real quick because he forgot something there. Thankfully his mom was in a good mood since they were leaving and let him go but sternly reminded to be back before the taxi showed up.

While she wasn't looking, Kuroko took his basketball from the championship game with him.

He ran until he was out of breath and finally reached the court they were at yesterday. From his pocket, he took out the letter he wrote the other night and smoothed it out flat on the concrete. On one side was the letter he wrote, on the other was the words, 'To Kagami-kun' scribbled in big katakana letters, since he didn't know the kanji for his name.

He laid the side with his name facing up and placed it under the goalpost. The basketball with all of Kuroko's teammate's signatures was carefully balanced on top of the letter as deadweight. There was no guarantee that the ball wouldn't move or be taken, but what else could Kuroko do? This was the one place he knew he'd go to. If there was a chance of leaving him some kind of message, then he had to take it.

Kuroko doubted he would ever see him again, it was an unlikely chance. He didn't expect it before, but Kuroko was disappointed to go. He should be glad, back in Japan Murasakibara and Kise were there waiting for him. But deep inside, there was a small part of him that wished he could stay.

Kuroko left the ball and note there in place, taking one last glance at the court before leaving America for good.


	2. Chapter 2

**Possible Spoiler Alert! I should have put this warning in the first chapter whoops.**

**a.n/** Your reviews were such a big motivation for me, so thanks you guys! Anyways, I actually hope this chapter makes sense and doesn't seem too far-fetched. I probably make Kuroko out to be a more complicated character than he is. There is no Kagami in this chapter, that sucks for him.

* * *

**Chapter 2.** _It must be nice, being so good without trying._

It was perhaps naïve to think things would remain the way they were.

Kuroko never expected for it to stay the same forever, he knew people changed, life moves on and takes its course. But it would've been nice if even for a little while longer, they could've continued that way.

When Kuroko returned from America, that was when he found out things were different from before.

He caught news from someone else, or more accurately he accidentally eavesdropped, that in the middle of the community centre's basketball match in the semi-finals, Murasakibara had suddenly given up entirely and left during half-time. At first, Kuroko didn't believe such rumours, but the evidence forced him to reluctantly accept that fact. It wasn't like Murasakibara to just give up in the middle of a match. They weren't even losing and the center just decided to abandon the entire team, the hole his absence left eventually did lead them to lose.

Kuroko tried to contact Murasakibara, to ask if something was wrong, but his inquiries were never reciprocated. The boy even went to Kise for answers but the blonde was even busier than ever. It also seemed that Kise had changed somewhat, or maybe he was always like that, but Kuroko never realized it.

As months passed, it came to that time for the sixth years to apply for middle schools. Kuroko had been so distracted and preoccupied with basketball lately that it slipped his mind. He wasn't so particular about the school itself to be honest, what interested him the most was the basketball teams. But even then, he didn't care much for the selection. So he went with his mother's first choice and applied for Teikou.

Kuroko wondered what school Murasakibara and Kise applied for. They never discussed it, and he hadn't talked to either of them since before summer vacation.

But before spring rolled around and the time for graduation came, Kuroko faced a reality he was denying the whole time.

The truth came in the form of Hanamiya Makoto (kanji for 'flowery truth'), which he supposed was fitting.

It was at the finals of a mini tournament where Kuroko first met the boy. Hanamiya was a middle school student, one year older, but he came from a school where the primary and middle schools were merged, so he was acting as a temporary player for a kid who was on leave from a severe injury. From what he saw, Hanamiya was an amazingly talented player for his age. His ability rivalled that of Murasakibara and Kuroko, so it was no doubt Kuroko was waiting for this match with bated anticipation.

By chance, right before the match began, Kuroko ran into Hanamiya in the hallway outside the gymnasium. Hanamiya was of average height, shorter than Kise, but height spoke nothing of true ability. Kuroko stopped walking and greeted him. "Hello."

Hanamiya's gaze was straightforward, but when he took notice of Kuroko, you could see his skin jump a little. "Hey! Don't pop out of nowhere like that." He frowned.

"I'm sorry." Kuroko apologized monotonously.

Hanamiya, with a casual observation, looked up and down Kuroko's frame. "What do you want anyways?" He said it a bit annoyingly.

"I just wanted to have a good match."

The taller arched a brow up to his forehead. "You? Don't tell me you're playing." He snorted with amusement.

Kuroko nodded, being underestimated was all too familiar for him to be offended. "Yes, I am."

A pleased smile seemed to grow on Hanamiya's lips. "Well, lucky me. Looks like this'll be easier than I thought."

"It's still too early to know."

Hanamiya stopped paying any attention to what he said and passed him into the gymnasium.

It became a given pattern that Kuroko's strength started slow and built up as the match went on. The first quarter was usually slow-paced to get the rhythm going and flow in their direction. This game however got heated from the moment the other team took the first ball. They passed to Hanamiya who was being guarded by one of Kuroko's teammates. It was a tight guard with little way out of it, but still, Kuroko never expected someone to go that low.

Hanamiya, with a wicked grin on his face, made a sharp pivot and jabbed his elbow into the side of the one blocking him. The boy clutched his side and weakened his guard, letting Hanamiya pass by easily and shoot it in the hoop.

The opposing team cried out in cheers for taking the first point.

"That guy just elbowed me!" The one marking Hanamiya pointed at his assailant accusingly.

Everyone saw it, there was no question about that, but the referee didn't see it so there was nothing that could be done. Kuroko already knew what was up. If he didn't put an end to this now, it was going to continue on.

"Hanamiya-kun." Kuroko went over to where the other was standing.

"Hm?" He bore such a pleasant smile that you wouldn't think he was capable of such twisted acts. "Oh, it's the runt from earlier. You should be addressing me as senpai, you know. I am older than you."

"To me, senpais are figures to be respected." Kuroko stared up with an unwavering gaze. "So I only address people who deserve that respect as a senpai."

Hanamiya snorted in absolute hilarity. "What a rude brat. Here's a word of advice, since I'm so nice." He leaned down to Kuroko's level. "Run on home, or else you might get hurt."

The threat was meant to instill fear, but on the contrary, Kuroko felt more fired up than ever. "No."

Hanamiya shook his head. "Then you're stupider than I thought."

Kuroko hadn't felt the desire to win this bad in a long time, no, it was a _need_ to win. Hanamiya was a good player and could hold up on his own just fine without the use of tricks. There was good in him and Kuroko was the only one who could show him his way was wrong. But foremost of all, he just wanted to win against this guy who disrespected the sport he loves so.

It was an exception for Kuroko to come at full force right from the beginning. His plan was basically to destroy the opposing team as much as possible so they would open their eyes.

Turns out, the other team was hesitant about resorting to dirty methods so the foul plays only occurred a few more times. Kuroko was already too engrossed in the game to slow down, coming at full force non-stop. His opponents didn't know what hit them until the game ended 83 – 70. Kuroko scored the majority of the points.

When the whistle blew, a stagnant air of hopelessness washed over the court. Kuroko was panting from exhaustion as a sense of accomplishment overcame him. Good. So maybe now Hanamiya will reform his style of basketball and finally open his eyes to its true meaning. Kuroko glanced off in the direction of Hanamiya. "I hope you realize now, Hanamiya-kun. I won because I believed in my team and fought with the right method. This is the result of our hard work."

"Are you stupid?"

Kuroko looked up and saw Hanamiya staring at him with an expression torn between apathy and frustration.

"I'll defeat him and he will definitely overlook his ways – is what you were thinking, right?" He scoffed. "What the hell were you trying to prove, exactly? Hard work and fair play will lead you to succeed?"

A dark chuckle seeped from Hanamiya's lips. "Bullshit, all of it. You think you're fueled by such proper morals, but in the end you're just the same as that guy and me." His face fell. "We can't help it, natural talent is something only a few are born with. The geniuses prosper over the ordinary, that is reality."

Kuroko narrowed his eyes slightly. "… What do you mean?"

"How about you tell me…" He cocked his head. "After looking at the state of your own team?"

Kuroko didn't understand what he meant by that and turned to his teammates behind him. They should've been celebratory, exultant in victory after winning the big tournament. But the sight he was greeted with was far from his expectations. There were no smiling faces, no upbeat vigour in their attitudes, just a tense aura of gloom in all the players' faces. They won, but there was no sense of victory in any of them.

"That's just how it is, when a genius completely takes over his team. Eventually you'll get even better, and my point will become clear. Basketball is a sport about ability and winning through whatever means, that's all there is to it."

"You're wrong," declared Kuroko adamantly. "We fought together."

"Of course," he said. "They were there, but they were practically non-existent in your eyes, am I right? Honestly though, I've never seen such conceited playing before. Well, played." His grin twisted maliciously.

Words seemed to have failed Kuroko right then, for he said nothing even after Hanamiya and everybody cleared out the gym.

Afterwards, he couldn't seem to get Hanamiya's taunts out of his head, even though they were only said out of spite to incite him. It couldn't be true though, Kuroko always played with the team in mind. Always scored for the good of the team, to ensure their triumph, for the sake of making sure they didn't _lose_.

Kuroko paused in the hallway outside the changing room. Wait, was that true? Ever since Kuroko took up basketball and discovered he excelled at it, the only thing he focused on was finding newer and better challenges. He passed and played with his team, but he never worked with them. Every game, there was a lack of an established connection between him and his teammates because unconsciously, he thought they were lower than him.

All the time, wasn't it always Kuroko demanding passes? Always making the scores himself, a solo act as the ace.

In the time he was lost in his thoughts, a voice from inside the changing room snapped him back to awareness. It was a few of his teammates that were still left behind after the game.

"Hey… Doesn't it feel weird even though we won?"

"Yeah… Like we didn't even _do_ anything to get here. It was basically Kuroko who did everything anyways."

"It must be nice, being so good without trying."

"It's not fair! I started loving basketball way earlier than he did!" The sound of something crashing could be heard within the door,

"… I'm going to quit basketball."

Kuroko felt his fingers curl unconsciously.

"What? Come on, you can't give up just because of that jerk Kuroko. What about your dream?"

"What's the point…? We're not always going to have Kuroko to win our games for us, and there's going to be way more talented players in middle school… It's better to quit now and save myself the trouble."

A pause. "… Maybe he's right."

The door suddenly opened, catching even Kuroko off guard. The one who opened the door jumped at the sight of the pale-haired boy. "Ah! Kuroko!"

Everyone in the room turned with startled expressions at the unexpected appearance of their ace. "Shit, was he eavesdropping on us?"

Kuroko didn't deny their accusation, even though it wasn't true. It all happened in a blur, he wasn't even aware of what his face looked like at that moment.

"Who cares if he was, it's about time I tell it to him straight!" One of the boys, a brunette Kuroko always thought was energetic and friendly, stomped over to the doorway. He leaned in so he was inches apart from Kuroko's face and scowled with all his might. "You may think you're some hotshot ace who doesn't even need his team to play, but I've got news for you! Basketball isn't some sport you play alone!"

"Hey, Kyou… Maybe you shouldn't -"

"No." Kuroko abruptly interrupted. "I want to hear what you have to say. Please."

Kyou laughed bitterly. "Acting all cool now? You're really something, Kuroko. You know, just because you're some prodigy, doesn't make you any better than me." He slung his sports bag over his shoulder and glared straight into the other's blue eyes. "I hope you're happy with winning today, because we sure didn't win anything with you." He shoved past him without a word after that.

The remaining few didn't accuse anything so extreme, but they agreed in hushed mutters amongst themselves. Even a boy who Kuroko considered the closest to him said as he left, "Sorry, Kuroko… But basketball just isn't fun with you."

He was left alone, abandoned by his teammates.

_No… Wasn't it me who did the abandoning?_ Kuroko sat on the bench with his head in his hands for a long time. It only took a few minutes for him to come undone and cry silently in the empty locker room.

* * *

It became difficult to even hold a basketball after that, Kuroko just felt so distraught with his priorities. Has his way of basketball been wrong this whole time? Kuroko always figured as long as their team won, his teammates were happy. But there was always something missing, and that was the passion. The thrill of knowing you gave it your all as a team, that was the vital piece Kuroko destroyed. The worst part was knowing he caused someone to hate basketball enough to quit.

The beginning of March rolled around and that was when Kuroko encountered Murasakibara again.

It was a chance encounter; Kuroko was practicing in an outdoor court when he spotted a high head of purple hair. He was making a three-pointer and got distracted, but the ball still went in. "Murasakibara-kun."

"Kuro-chin, s'been a while." He strode over to the middle of the court and playfully ruffled the small one's hair. "Still as puny as ever."

Kuroko calmly swatted his hand away. "I grew. You just grew too much." Murasakibara did startlingly shoot up in height since Kuroko last saw him, as if he wasn't already tall enough. Kuroko only grew an inch at the least.

Murasakibara placed a hand on the top of his head and measured it out to the air above Kuroko. The difference was substantial. "Really?" He swung his hand back and forth continuously.

Kuroko wanted to get off that topic. "What have you been up to?"

"Hm? Well… Nothin' much." He scratched his head. "I've been experimenting with a bunch of new flavours… but I still like the original taste better." He was referring to a certain brand of crackers Kuroko didn't know about.

Kuroko passed the ball to Murasakibara who caught it with one hand.

"It's been a while since I last played you."

Murasakibara proceeded to remove his jacket and place it off on the side. He was more hesitant in putting down his unfinished snack. "I haven't been playing a lot since basketball is getting kinda boring, y'know."

Kuroko frowned faintly. "I heard you abandoned the championship match."

"There was no point. They were too weak to entertain me."

"But they needed you." Kuroko said but paused when something familiar tugged at him._ They needed him to win… The same way my team needed me?_

"Who cares?" Murasakibara looked even more menacing than before, as if something inside him ticked. "I wonder if you'll be able to save basketball for me this time, Kuro-chin."

Kuroko wasn't sure what happened after that, but the game ended with his overwhelming defeat of 52 – 29.

It all passed in such a hurried haze, Kuroko wasn't even sure if he was himself the whole time.

Murasakibara gazed down at the smaller in disappointment. "It's too bad, Kuro-chin. I thought if anyone could make me love basketball again, it would be you. But even you turned out to be more of a disappointment than I thought."

_What… Just happened?_ Kuroko knew he wasn't this much of a weakling before. Even if Murasakibara significantly grew in height and ability, his level was still somewhere Kuroko could at least keep up. So why? The whole time it felt like his body was refusing to listen to his commands. He anticipated every mistake he made, but his movements weren't his own and acted entirely out of control.

_'Sorry, Kuroko… But basketball just isn't fun with you.'_

There was a detached aura to Kuroko's demeanor when he became aware of it himself._ Subconsciously… Am I holding back?_

The words of his vexed teammates carved deeper into him than he thought.

Kuroko couldn't even muster up a farewell when Murasakibara walked out. He just stood there, sweaty and panting on shaky legs. Around him, the dusk of the evening was starting to sink in, creating silhouettes of dark shadows on the ground.

Was this the end for him? From a few simple phrases said out of spite, his body no longer contained the will to challenge anybody. No, it was more than that. Kuroko could infer the sensation in his nerves by seeing the state of Murasakibara now. Ever since he began the sport, he was fighting alone. There was never the spirit of the team behind him, Kuroko could've had anyone for a teammate and it wouldn't have made a difference. He never felt that overwhelming joy of securing a win with his comrades. He never bumped fists with someone. There was a void in him that couldn't be filled by simply winning alone. Kuroko gulped harshly, still not wanting to believe it himself.

He was starting to hate basketball.

It might've been a rash conclusion due to all the events that transpired, but in the end Kuroko never got the chance to think it over. Very soon after, his parents got divorced, even though they rarely fought in front of him.

Kuroko entered freshman year of middle school with all the days of childhood behind him.

* * *

Teikou was one of the higher ranked middle schools in the district with highly esteemed faculty and renowned academics. But they were especially known for their athletic facilities, with the most prominent being the basketball club.

Obviously, Kuroko's mother took great consideration in her son's interests. The boy wasn't sure if he should be grateful or not. It didn't matter now though, his mother moved back to the countryside while Kuroko stayed in Tokyo with his father to continue his education.

His graduating year brought so many hurdles, but Kuroko was determined to overcome them. There was no time to sulk about his parents' separation or the loss of his friends. Between then and now, Kuroko took the time to settle down and breathe for a second. He was known to maintain a cool head in dire situations, and this moment was when he needed it the most. If he could no longer muster up the spirit to play basketball, that didn't mean he was completely alienated from it now, there was one vital point. His greatest mistake was only playing with his own agenda and disregarding everyone around him. Now he could learn from it and move on. Teamwork was his weak point, so all he had to do was make it a strong point. Don't play for yourself, play for others.

With newfound resolve and a fresh take on basketball, middle school was going to be different; he was going to make basketball enjoyable for everyone. This time, Kuroko was going to see everyone smiling.

On the first day of acceptance, the most apparent thing was to join the basketball team straight away.

He already came with an idea in mind. It was in the midst of re-watching the dvds he owned of his past tournament games when it struck him. He was looking for errors, plays he could've executed better without selfishly moving on his own. Kuroko honestly didn't notice the pattern at first until a quarter of an hour into the game.

'_Why didn't I pass to #4? He was wide open..._'After noticing that one little opportunity missed, his eyes became open to all those other flaws. Kuroko passed the ball to his teammates a few times, but it was only after a considerable gap in the points was made, or with the ball immediately returning back to Kuroko. He was startled by how little he passed. It wasn't always like this before, so when did it start?

But now he knew the key, honestly he didn't know why it took him so long to realize. Every basketball match he watched, the best scores were always made with the aid of great passes. The fluid movements between the players, the faith they held in one another, it was all part of the stunning sport orchestrated amongst true athletes.

_Passing_. An art Kuroko never really got to appreciate.

Everything else became simple after that. He would just start his own specialty in passing.

It was difficult at first, after all, there was an extent to how much you could accomplish on your own with passing. Kuroko spent endless hours watching videos of various basketball matches, while always mindful of the passes made.

_How can I make this into a weapon…?_ There were all sorts of tricks and plays regarding passes, but they weren't anything new Kuroko couldn't do before. He was seeking something beyond the typical maneuvers.

As a first year, Kuroko automatically started in the third-string. Freshman weren't generally expected to play in real tournaments, but only to act as errand boys and support for their senpais. It was the only true geniuses that worked their way up to second-string or even first-string. Although this year, there were surprisingly quite a few of these. The entire starting team was made up of first-years, even the captain was one. Murasakibara was part of the acclaimed famous prodigies' team, which Kuroko only found out about after a few good weeks. They never talked since their last match and neither approached the other, if Murasakibara even noticed Kuroko went to the same school as him. Kuroko found out about Kise the day of the opening ceremony, the hordes of fan-girls were a dead giveaway to his presence. The two of his one closest friends eventually built up reputations as legendary sportsmen.

Kuroko could've easily made first-string had it not been for his present state of mind, he was aware of this fact. Inside his heart remained the reluctance to play at full power as past memories continued to haunt him. So he decided, until he expanded his ability to work in a team, he would remain as a lousy third-string player. That was the strength of his resolve.

This meant of course, holding back during practice. It wasn't that hard, Kuroko was below-average in all basic fitness and skills and only shined during matches.

If ever in a practice match with much lower level players, Kuroko simply blended in the background using his ghost of a presence. But the funny thing is he was so used to being overlooked that it never even crossed his mind to use that as an advantage.

"Kuroko! Get over here, you're in," said a senior handling a clipboard.

Kuroko was already on the court, but that was just another typical day for invisible him. The members were having a match between the third-string and second-string players, a friendly battle that was mostly an excuse for the older students to show the freshmen the difference in their ability. Nobody expected the third-strings to win.

They seriously had picked the weakest of all the third-string players and forced them into a team against the best second-string guys. The world needed to know that fitness test results were unreliable and should be burned to ash, Kuroko thought this ruefully.

Despite that, to be honest, Kuroko was glad to be on the court again, even though he knew he couldn't reveal his true ability. It was frustrating definitely, but his patience led him to a great discovery.

Halfway through the match, with the freshmen losing badly and with Kuroko yet to touch the ball, an opening presented itself right in front of Kuroko's eyes. It was the slightest of openings that someone without any pronounced skill couldn't take, but for Kuroko it was no sweat. A senpai dribbling the ball happened to pass by him, and with such a clear opening, Kuroko couldn't help intercept the ball with a slight of hand. He didn't want to attract too much attention to himself though, so he scooped it to a teammate standing right beside him as soon as he touched it.

The boy caught the ball, alarmed at how it suddenly materialized itself into his hands. But he quickly recovered and shot a three-pointer in the opposite team's basket. The first-string guys were in an uproar for their first score in a while.

"Hey, nice steal, Hyougo!"

"Woah, that was a sick steal, man! Couldn't even see it!"

The boy who made the shot looked around in consternation. "U-uh, but I didn't…"

Kuroko blinked as it registered in his mind. _They didn't notice my pass_. With that, a theory was formed in his analytical head, but he had to verify it first.

"Excuse me," said Kuroko to one of his teammates. "Can you pass me the ball?" This time was different from all the other times; he wasn't planning on keeping it for himself.

When the pass came to Kuroko, his course of action was to keep the ball to himself as little as possible. The longer he kept the ball, the more attention he drew to his own existence. And that's what he was trying to avoid. Kuroko was attempting to become an invisible ghost on the court; a player that cannot be sensed cannot be seized.

It failed the first few times due to him holding the ball too long. But as the game ran its course, Kuroko resorted to simply not catching the ball at all, and instead, slapping it in the most ideal direction.

At the end of the game, the freshmen still lost. Kuroko's passes closed the gap a bit, but it mainly depended on the skill of the rest of the team. It didn't matter though; this eye-opener was enough of an achievement for Kuroko.

After the school day was done, Kuroko stayed behind in the fourth auditorium used by the third-strings to practice on a daily basis. He would start with a light jog around the gym, stretches, and a little solo practice so he didn't get rusty. The accuracy of his shots wasn't what it used to be, he was still unconsciously holding himself back. It was a silly thing, he knew it, but Kuroko was afraid becoming too good would make him a different person. So he worked on his passing technique.

He patted the basketball with his palm then closed his hand into a fist and rapped his knuckles against the surface. "I can't punch it… That would be against the rules."

"So I can only slap it." He bounced the ball against the floor and when it came back up, he used all the force of his palm to send it to the far side of the court. The impact left his hand red and stinging. "Ow." He tried to shake off the pain as the ball rolled to the wall on the opposite end. Aim needed work, and power especially could stand for improvement, which Kuroko very much lacked. And also reducing the amount of pain he caused himself was an important point to work on.

It was hard practicing passing by yourself, but Kuroko worked hard late into the evening every day. After normal practice at the club was his personal training schedule, it was also the only time he could indulge himself in showing off his own skills. But no matter how hard he tried, Kuroko couldn't get out of the rut he seemed to be stuck in.

That is, until he met Aomine.

A recently made first-year member on the starting team and he was already pronounced the ace of Teikou basketball. His name was famous all around school, even to those with no interest in basketball. Kuroko went to watch him play before, out of a fellow player's curiosity with high expectations gathered from rumors. Kuroko wasn't one to believe in rumors, but needless to say, those rumors must have been under-exaggerating. He was not disappointed, or more accurately, it was more than Kuroko could've expected. Aomine was nothing like Kuroko had ever seen before. He was incredible and his passion for the sport burned bright and hot.

Kuroko was completely captivated. The desire to challenge this extraordinary player clawed at him, but he knew he'd get obliterated with the state he was in now.

So with the match against Aomine lingering as nothing but a far-off dream, Kuroko continued his extra training, in hopes one day this struggling phase would pass. And that maybe someday he'd have the courage to approach Aomine.

Unexpectedly one night, his two wishes showed up simultaneously.

"Um… Who are you?" Kuroko cocked his head at the quivering back of the stranger, not noticing who it was at first, but seeing that dark skin and blue hair it became clear to him. "… Ah? Oh. Aomine-kun?"

It felt like some weird chance meeting made by some higher basketball deity. The most improbable part was Aomine actually wanting to sit down with Kuroko and talk to him. Dull, uninteresting, quiet Kuroko. And here they were, Aomine laughing and chatting away as though Kuroko was a good pal of his. The pale-haired boy never realized how little he tried to socialize since he entered middle school; he had been so preoccupied with basketball.

"So what's your name?"

Kuroko looked up, wondering why someone like Aomine would want to know his name. "… I'm in third string," said Kuroko cautiously. He was actually wary of Aomine's seemingly good-hearted nature; such an exceptional member of the starters had to come with overwhelming pride. Maybe Aomine wasn't the kind of player he thought; perhaps he was more similar to Hanamiya.

"Stupid, I don't care if you're first-string or third-string. You like basketball enough to stay for extra practice every night, right?" Aomine said with a bright grin, "If you like basketball, you can't be bad! That's my pet theory."

Kuroko was taken aback by his words, and not just by what was said, but how genuinely he had said it. This made him think back on Hanamiya, and whether he liked basketball or not. It was a truly naïve way of thinking, yet Aomine believed it as naturally as the theory that humans die without oxygen.

Kuroko couldn't find a reply to that as he fixed his stare on the other. Did it mean that Kuroko was wrong all along and Hanamiya was just bluffing? His fear of becoming someone he didn't want to be, this whole time, even reconstructing his way of basketball due to his worries. And then here comes along Aomine, a guy he met barely ten minutes ago, who completely blows everything away with a few simple phrases. But now that he realized it… _Ah, that's right. Wasn't basketball always this simple?_

A small smile crept on his lips. "That's a strange pet theory."

"What?" Aomine cried out, a bit disheartened at having his sole principle called strange.

"I'm Kuroko Tetsuya. Nice to meet you." He felt like a fool, worrying all this time only to have them whisked away by a basketball loving sap. It was a glimmer of hope Kuroko hadn't seen in a long time.

But Kuroko couldn't reveal his true self yet. He wasn't ready to go back into that competitive world. So he remained content acting as a shadow under Aomine's overwhelming talents.

One day though, he'd like to face off Aomine at full power.

They practiced again every day after that. Actually it was just Aomine butting into Kuroko's routine, but the pale-haired boy didn't mind it one bit. It was nice having company once in a while, even if he couldn't flaunt his true abilities while the other was around. Often, Kuroko found himself simply watching Aomine practice by himself when he wasn't looking. The taller boy played with such vigour and intensity that you couldn't help but respect it. Though it was a bit odd, there was this constant unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach that plagued Kuroko only when he was around Aomine. Not an unpleasant feeling or anything, but it was distracting nevertheless. Despite all that, Kuroko felt nothing but ease when Aomine's light shone beside him.

One time, Aomine caught Kuroko staring at him in a trance. Aomine turned to glance at him. "… Hmm? Something wrong?"

Kuroko felt his face grow warmer from sudden embarrassment. He was just caught staring like some mesmerized fan, which was not a usual happening for Kuroko. "… No." He hesitated for a moment before saying, "Aomine-kun, you're amazing."

"Huh?"

"Even though you're already so good, you still stay behind for extra practice…" Kuroko held back a smile. "You really have a one-track mind about basketball."

"Are you making fun of me?" Aomine cried out in slight desperation. "… Well, if you want to talk about being amazing, I think you're more amazing."

Kuroko blinked, assuming Aomine was saying that simply out of politeness. But knowing the earnest way Aomine says what he feels, it was difficult not to take his words to the heart.

He grinned in that way Kuroko enjoyed seeing all the time. "Let's stand on the same court one day, Tetsu!"

There was something about Aomine, who always knew what to say to leave Kuroko unable to come up with a proper response. Standing on the same court… that meant having to rise up to first-string and secure a position as a regular. It meant having to be near the same level as Aomine or Murasakibara, which would be impossible for normal people, but very possible for Kuroko.

Although he knew in order to play with Aomine on the same team, he would have to go back to his old way of basketball. Which Kuroko would've been unable to do so before, but now with the little confidence he gained from Aomine, it might have been time to step out of his shell. It was just as he believed; those who like basketball aren't bad people, and Kuroko loved basketball with all his heart, so maybe he didn't have to be afraid anymore. It was frustrating being a coward and wanting so badly to go all out in a match was tearing at him.

Playing alongside Aomine was nearly as good as playing against him. It should be alright now to reveal his true potential. There was a ranking test the next day and if Kuroko could prove his skills enough to advance to second-string, then standing on the same court as Aomine wouldn't be such an improbable fantasy.

Kuroko loved basketball, and he felt as long as Aomine was around, he wouldn't become the bad person he feared to be.

The day of the ranking test was filled with nerve-wracking tension and anticipation at the same time. The test was held after school, so during all his classes Kuroko couldn't focus because his mind was wrought with basketball. After today, he would no longer be the wallflower weakling in the third-string. He wondered what Aomine would say when he found out.

_"Why didn't you tell me you were such an amazing player before, Tetsu? Come on, let's play a one-on-one, just you and me!"_

It wouldn't just be playing with Aomine either, there were other incredible players on the starting team, Murasakibara for example. There was a chance of reconciliation with his old friend, which reminded him, he never got the chance to talk to Kise again either. Kuroko made a mental note to find Kise later and catch up with him. Of course, he says this now, but little does he know that he doesn't remember again until next year.

The test was right after the last bell rang, so Kuroko had to jog to the gymnasium and get changed before roll call. On the way to the locker room for the third-strings, Kuroko stopped by the water fountains outside to refill his water bottle and maybe splash some on his face to stay alert. He dropped his bags beside him once he reached the taps and leaned over the stone cut sink. There was so much going on in his head right now that a refresher would do him nicely. He turned on the tap and let the cool water run over his open palms before splashing it over his face, effectively drenching his bangs.

It was in that moment Kuroko was interrupted by a voice beside him. "Kuroko?"

The said bearer of name turned his head to look up at whoever called him. Near instantly, he recognized the face that continued to weigh guilt in his heart as the same words echoed in his ears.

_'Sorry Kuroko… But basketball just isn't fun with you.'_

_'…I'm going to quit basketball.'_

"…Teruyuki-kun."

The boy looked positively panicked as he stared wide-eyed at Kuroko. "You… went to Teikou? I never heard that."

Kuroko stood up straight with water still dripping from his face. "Yes… I never told you."

Teruyuki clutched the strap of his bag tighter. "Yeah… I should've figured you'd go to a school with a famous basketball club like this, huh?" He bit his lip, expression turning dark. "I originally chose this place because I wanted to continue playing basketball."

"You should." Kuroko piped up a bit louder than his normal volume. "Don't quit now."

The other laughed humorlessly. "It's ironic you say that because I almost quit because of you." He didn't notice Kuroko flinch. "… But I figured, I shouldn't let myself down because of one guy, and finally mustered up the courage to take the ranking test today…"

Kuroko stayed silent. Teruyuki's words were optimistic, but his tone was grave.

"… Though, seeing as you're here, it's probably best to give up early and save myself the trouble."

"… What are you saying?"

"It was my dream to play as a regular in Teikou." He turned around and began to walk away.

"Wait!" Kuroko leapt up and stopped the other from leaving, resting one hand on his shoulder. "It's not too late."

"That's easy for someone with natural born talent to say!" He snarled at Kuroko and pushed his hand off. "You don't understand! You could never understand what it's like always getting beaten at something you love!"

Kuroko felt his will wavering and past onus bearing down on him heavier than before, but he trudged on. "It's true, I don't. But that doesn't mean you should give up on what you love. I love basketball too."

Teruyuki had water welling up in the corner of his eyes. "I worked really hard in elementary, always staying for hours after everybody else went home. All to perfect my jump shot, which I did. But I never even got to touch the ball because of you."

There was an ugly feeling forming in Kuroko's stomach and it wasn't stopping.

The other hung his head low. "… Now there are all these so-called prodigies like you. What are the chances of a normal guy like me getting in?"

"It doesn't matter what string you're in. Even if you don't make first-string, you can still play basketball, that's what matters."

"I probably won't even make it to second-string…" There were tears running down his face now. "That's reality, there's nothing you can do if you're not made for it."

He wasn't listening to anything that was being said to him. But Kuroko just couldn't give up on his former teammate yet. "Regardless of the strings, don't you feel happy playing basketball? … I know what it's like to want to quit -"

"Shut up!" Teruyuki thrashed his entire body so violently that Kuroko thought he was going to hit him. "You don't know shit! I'm useless as a player, don't you get that?"

"You're not -"

"Oh yeah?" He interrupted, knowing full well what Kuroko was about to say. "If I'm not, then tell me, Kuroko. Why didn't you ever rely on me in our games?"

Kuroko opened his mouth on a reflex but no words or sounds flowed out. As much as he wanted to say something, anything, he didn't know what. His mind drew a complete blank, all the saliva in his mouth seemed to have dried out. The most troubling thing was he knew the answer, but he didn't want to say it.

"I'll tell you why," answered Teruyuki in favor of Kuroko. "Because I'm a fucking screw up. My skills are shit and I'm unreliable. We had a higher chance of winning letting you score alone, even the coach said so. He forced us to fall back and leave everything to you."

Kuroko never heard of that. His teammates were forced to remain passive during the games?

"You haven't changed, Kuroko. You're still the same solo player as before." He sneered, finally having stopped crying. "We'll see how far you get with that selfish style of yours."

Teruyuki stomped off by himself and this time, Kuroko didn't bother to follow.

He felt his body tremble as he willed himself not to break down right there. Everything he did, everything he strived to achieve and redeem, it was all for nothing. In the end, he was exactly the kind of person he hated to be. Aomine was wrong, Kuroko was a bad person. If he wasn't, he wouldn't have let his former teammate walk away with a tear-stained face.

* * *

Kuroko ended up not going to the ranking test that day. He almost skipped his daily practice session with Aomine too, but he figured he owed it to the other to at least break the news to him.

When he walked into the auditorium, the first thing he saw was Aomine's eager smile. "Oh! Hey, you're late. There's hardly ti -"

The smaller boy said nothing and stared at the floor with downcast eyes.

"Huh? Are you going home already?"

"… Aomine-kun."

"…?"

He needed to tell him. It was too much for Kuroko to bear anymore. "I'm thinking… about quitting the basketball team."

The utter shock in Aomine's eyes was more than he was expecting. "What? Why?"

Kuroko knew no plain way of explaining himself, so he settled with lying in hopes he'd let it slide easier. "Like I thought, with my skills, I probably won't even make it to second-string, let alone be able to play with Aomine-kun." He was stealing the words of someone else, and he hated himself for it.

"I like basketball… but, I've been on the team for half a year… I guess there's nothing you can do if you're not made for it." His voice came out so fluid, probably because before he came here, the previous conversation kept repeating itself in his head. "On top of that, here at Teikou middle school, I don't think I can be of any use to the team." The last thing was the only part that was true. A player who only thought of himself and couldn't help hold his team together wasn't part of the team at all. He would only be a burden and make everyone hate him again.

"In a team, there's no such thing as an unnecessary player."

Kuroko widened his eyes, startled by the outside intrusion in his train of thought.

"Even if you can't play in matches… There's no way that a guy who stays behind later than the first-string – later than anyone else – is completely useless." Aomine had a dead serious look. "At least for me, watching you like that made me respect you, and made me want to work harder."

Kuroko lightly furrowed his brows. Why it is that Aomine always knows what to say, but when Kuroko was told the same thing before, he froze up. But he supposed that's what made Aomine the better player. He knew what it meant to work with people, to say the right things when you needed it the most. And here Kuroko was, getting consoled when he wasn't the one who needed it.

"I'm not going to say you can do it for sure if you don't give up. But if you do give up, there'll be nothing left."

Teruyuki should be the one hearing this. Maybe if Kuroko had said it, it wouldn't have turned out like it did. But Kuroko was unable to connect with a person, that's why he was always by himself. Unlike Aomine, who was so vibrant and outgoing, his light crashed even into Kuroko's dull life like a storm.

It was impossible for Kuroko to match up to a player like him.

"Aomine."

Both Kuroko and Aomine turned toward the entrance at the sound of a new voice. It was a red-head Kuroko never saw before, and behind him was a tall guy with glasses. Trailing right beside them was none other than Murasakibara. The purple-haired center caught sight of his old friend and they made brief eye contact.

"Who's he?" It took Kuroko a second to realize the red-head was talking about him.

"Oh… I always practice with him. His name is Tetsu."

"Hmm? Did we have a guy like this on the team?" Murasakibara questioned, for he wasn't even aware that Kuroko attended the same school as him.

"He's not in first-string. Still in third-string," said Aomine. At this, Murasakibara leered at the pale-haired boy with suspicion. Despite having beaten him, he knew Kuroko's ability was well above the third-string level. Kuroko's eyes gave away nothing.

"Hmm… Whatever then." Murasakibara wasn't going to inquire his former teammate's peculiar behaviour now, since he was already sleepy and the issue could rest for another time. "Hey, let's go already -"

"No… I'm curious about him."

Kuroko's skin prickled from the way the red-head ogled him like some piece of meat.

"Interesting… I've never seen this type of player." He said with a hint of amusement. "He might be hiding a talent... different from ours." The red-head said this last sentence with uncertainty as he studied the shorter with an apprehensive glare.

Kuroko widened his eyes.

_He knows._

* * *

**a.n/** Okay, I'm not one for cliff-hangers – if this even counts as a cliff-hanger – but this chapter was getting too long and I had to end it somewhere. Man this chapter wasn't that interesting, I'll have something better next time. By the way Teikou arc is not finished I did not intend for it to go longer than one chapter but it is so oh well. I got too caught up in Kuroko angst. Am I making Kuroko angst too much about basketball? Probably.

Also, you also might notice, all of Aomine's lines were taken directly from the manga. Yeah, no made up first meeting between them here. I was re-reading the Teikou flashbacks and noticed oh hey the original interaction could fit with my story well. So I worked with it while inserting my own AU of Kuroko's side of the story. I try to follow the canon somewhat because it makes my story look cooler.


	3. Chapter 3

**a.n/ **To the question of – is this going to be a KagaKuro fic – yes, it is. Eventually. Although I decided I'll keep it at T. I know it doesn't seem like a KagaKuro fic now because where the hell is Kagami. He is off in America and hell if I'll write a story about that.

* * *

**Chapter 3. **_Don't go breaking the oath._

A momentary lapse of panic lodged itself in Kuroko's esophagus as he found no reply or protest coming up. What unsettled him the most was the red-head's glare, it wasn't letting up a bit. And there was something in those red eyes that bore past Kuroko's outer frame and into his soul.

"Hah? What are you talking about, Akashi?" Aomine arched a brow at his captain, but it wasn't the first time the guy left him bemused by his sporadic behavior.

Kuroko could've really used his vanishing abilities right now, but they had little effect when everyone was staring at him. "I'm sorry," he began as he straightened himself with the intention of leaving. "But I have to go."

He casually strode forward to where the others were standing in an attempt to slide past them without trouble. But when he passed the red-head, he felt a hand wrap around his arm and tug him back. "Hold on," said the red-head with a steady voice. "Did I say you could leave?"

Kuroko swiveled his head to stare at the other with a puzzled look. _What?_

Murasakibara actually seemed intrigued by this meeting, as if curious to see how Kuroko would react. Aomine sighed hopelessly while ruffling the back of his own hair. "Ah, man… There he goes again." He proceeded over to smoothly rescue Kuroko from Akashi's grasp. "Tetsu's had a rough day… You think you can save him your prattling for now?"

Akashi didn't appear all too pleased by this at first, but his face slowly molded into one of content. "… Alright then." He said with a slight smile. "But I'm still curious about him. Bring him to the first-string's auditorium tomorrow after practice."

"Jeez, don't treat him like some pet to drag around," said Aomine, patting Kuroko's shoulders. "Come on, Tetsu, let's go for today. I'll treat you to Maji burger on the way home."

"Vanilla milkshake, please."

"Man, you don't hesitate!"

Kuroko was still unsettled by this boy named Akashi. His insight was a level far above the others, not to mention his sudden interest in Kuroko, whom most people overlooked easily. At Maji burger, Kuroko expressed his thoughts to Aomine.

"Sorry about our captain earlier… He gets pretty serious when it comes to basketball. But I guess that's what makes me respect him." Aomine popped a fry into his mouth.

"Your captain?" Kuroko never suspected the captain to be that sort of person.

"Yeah…He's a real demon, I swear!" Aomine seemed to visibly shudder from recalling bad memories. "Anyway, you don't have to come by tomorrow if you don't want to. But…I king of wish you would, Akashi rarely takes an interest in anybody_._"

Honestly, Kuroko would much rather skip out on the appointment, but this whole time he'd been constantly running away from his problems, and they weren't getting any better. Perhaps it was time to face it head on instead of dodging the issue at hand.

"Hey…" Aomine leaned in across the table. "You're not actually hiding that you're secretly amazing at basketball or anything? S'that why Akashi wants to see you?"

Kuroko could feel his heart lodge up in his throat at the sudden accusation but he willed himself to look at Aomine dead in the eye. "…That's quite an idea."

Aomine laughed. "Yeah, it'd be great if you were though. We could finally play together in a match!"

Kuroko looked down at the milkshake between his hands.

"And maybe you can replace that damn Haizaki, I'd like to see that." The dark-skinned boy then noticed his friend looking a bit dejected. "Hey… You still on about that ranking test result? …Whatever, you know, who cares? All that's bullshit anyways!" He said with fervor even though he always ranked first.

"No…" There no longer lied any indication of despair on Kuroko's features. "I was just thinking, I'll do my best tomorrow."

A wide grin spread on Aomine's lips. "Hell yeah, that's the spirit! Though I warn you, if Akashi's really intent on you…It's not going to be easy."

"Probably not." He didn't expect anything to come at him easy, especially if it was a test of his abilities.

"…Who knows, he might even try something on you."

"Huh?"

Aomine grinned. "Haha, just kidding…Sort of." He sipped at his drink as he blatantly glanced off to the side.

This did nothing to ease Kuroko's nerves.

* * *

The next day came and Kuroko went through all his daily classes, bombing one test because it completely slipped his mind. It was surprisingly easy to forget that life didn't revolve around basketball.

Aomine met up with Kuroko after normal practice was over, since first-strings and third-strings held different practices. Aomine accompanied him to the gym, despite the short one's protests.

"I don't need a chaperone, Aomine-kun."

"Shut up! I'm just – curious that's all." He said that, but in reality, his brain was racked with concern of what Akashi meant to do to Kuroko all day. Even if it was the captain, Aomine wasn't going to let it slide if anything happened to his practice buddy.

They arrived at the entrance of the auditorium, which was empty save for Akashi standing in the middle in his basketball clothes. He had a ball balanced between his hip and arm with an expectant gaze. "Glad you could make it."

_There's no one else here…Damn, good thing I decided to come._ Aomine thought as he squinted in consternation.

"Now, Aomine. Leave."

"What?" Aomine sputtered, "But why?"

"I wish to talk to Kuroko alone."

_What is he playing at here? _Kuroko pondered as Aomine had a mini internal fit by his side before admitting defeat. "_Fine_. But don't try anything weird on Tetsu!" He pointed with a half-hearted glare.

"See you tomorrow. Eavesdrop and I'll kill you."

Aomine's skin jumped despite his will to contain his alarm. He turned begrudgingly to depart, but gave Kuroko a reassuring pat on the shoulder before he left. "Good luck, Tetsu. Stay strong."

Kuroko nodded as his friend walked away from the building and he turned back to the boy standing before him. "I'm here. What do you want?"

Akashi began dribbling on the spot while keeping his gaze fixated on Kuroko. "I told you, I just want to talk." He pivoted on one foot and dribbled to the hoop on the south end. "I saw you practicing before."

Kuroko's entire body flinched, his prosaic expression changing into that of mild panic. He was right, he did know.

"Relax, I'm not going to out your little secret." Akashi adjusted to a shooting position in one fluid motion and jumped to make a shot. He didn't even wait to see if it went in before turning to look at Kuroko. "But what I find so interesting…is why would you want to keep it hidden?" The ball flew in through the center of the hoop.

The pale-haired boy wanted to avert his eyes, but he felt trapped by the other's intense stare.

Akashi tilted his head. "Perhaps you're planning on surprising everyone with your buried talent?" He placed a thumb over his chin thoughtfully. "That certainly would catch everyone's attention. You mustn't enjoy being so overlooked all the time…"

"That's not it." Kuroko wasn't out for some petty attention; on the contrary, having everyone's focus on him was troubling. "I…wasn't a good player." He paused and reworded, "I was selfish and only played basketball for myself."

"Who else would you play for then?" Akashi said as he went over to pick up the stray ball. "Would it make you feel better if you played for your parents or colleagues? Basketball is played because you yourself love the game and want to improve at it."

"I mean…I didn't play with my team." Kuroko frowned delicately. "I belittled them."

"So now you feel guilty and want to redeem yourself by abdicating basketball," said Akashi with the ball in his hand. "Surprisingly, that's not the stupidest thing I've heard."

Kuroko looked away, knowing very well how foolish it was. But he couldn't help that something affected him so unconsciously.

"I asked Murasakibara about you. It came as a surprise when I heard you guys were friends before." Akashi twirled the ball in his hand before throwing it in a straight line at Kuroko, who barely caught the forceful pass. "Here, I heard you were fairly good."

"I'm not good enough right now," said Kuroko although his hands were clenching against the basketball.

"You're stuck in a rut, aren't you? The best way to get out of that is to drive you to the point of desperation." Akashi bent over slightly with anticipation. "I'm going to force your true potential out."

Kuroko felt a shiver run down his spine, but it wasn't out of fear. "… There's no guarantee it will work."

"Of course it will, because I'm always right." Akashi smirked as something seemed to spark in his crimson eyes.

Kuroko swallowed hard, not having felt this fired up in a long while.

They started with Akashi gracefully handing over the first ball to Kuroko. The pale-haired boy wasn't all too rusty thanks to the daily practice sessions with Aomine, but he never had the chance to go all out. And here he was facing off against an elite player he knew nothing about. It was all so exhilarating; Kuroko was having trouble keeping his excitement in.

"Don't think too much into it," advised Akashi as he closely guarded Kuroko. "You're not in any position to be second guessing yourself right now. It's best to just…" He leaned in so his lips grazed the shell of Kuroko's ear. "…Lose yourself."

Kuroko widened his eyes in surprise and before he knew it, Akashi knocked the ball right out of his hands and scored it in. He didn't even have the time to get flustered about his previous action. "…What did you just do?" Kuroko pressed a hand against his reddening ear.

Akashi smiled genially. "I proved a point. Hesitation will be your downfall." He tossed the ball over to Kuroko.

There was something awfully wicked behind his smile that Kuroko didn't want to know about. So the game went on.

Akashi wasn't a regular of Teikou's team for nothing. Half-way into the game and the score was already in overwhelming favor of Akashi with 57 – 11. Even if Kuroko managed to turn the tables around, it was still clear what the outcome of the match was. Nevertheless, Kuroko did not let up one bit and struggled to get himself together. It was like his mind was at a wall he couldn't get around, so the only choice was to break through. _I need to overcome this._

The red-head captain smiled with wide eyes as he sensed Kuroko's resolve. "Good. I'm impressed you can still hold such determination." He only paused to say that before driving past Kuroko at lightning speed and laying it up in the basket. "As a similar kind of player as me, I'll tell you something interesting."

Kuroko panted heavily as he turned to Akashi. "The difference between me and the other regulars - you could say disadvantage but I don't really consider it that," said the red-head as he wiped the sweat from his chin. "…It's height."

"Probably the only kind of shot I can't do is a dunk, same as you. But still, I've never lost a game," said Akashi with a faint smirk. "Height's a big factor in basketball, a single centimeter can make all the difference. That's why I devote myself to the other aspects, so it doesn't matter how large the opponent is," Akashi passed the ball to Kuroko again. "I still win."

Kuroko never really thought about his inability to dunk, he always figured that long awaited growth spurt would roll around soon and he'd shoot up just like everybody else. It was disappointing to think he would never be able to experience that feeling of slamming in a dunk, but it never hindered him before.

"Hurry up. This won't work if you relax even for a second."

One had to wonder, why was Akashi working so hard for Kuroko's sake? He was just a dull boy with a dampened aptitude in basketball. Did Akashi mean to put him on the first-string if Kuroko somehow managed to gain back his competency? Whatever the reason was, there was time to muddle over it after he took back the points.

The match came down to its final quarter and the gap wasn't shrinking. If there was any time to be considered a brink of desperation, it was now. There was no chance of winning, but Kuroko's aim was something much larger than that. He needed to free himself, to break off these shackles chaining him down. Kuroko was guarding Akashi while the sweat was drenching his t-shirt and his lungs felt like deflated balloons. Faster, keener, he needed to move smarter. _Move!_

Then it hit him. The place where everything became clear.

Akashi attempted another drive to the right side, but Kuroko reacted quickly and knocked the ball out of his hand with a back tip. The red-head looked back in mild surprise, but smirked when he saw the flicker of light in Kuroko's eyes.

"I see it worked. Congratulations," said Akashi with a fond pleasantness that was difficult to determine if it was genuine or not.

There was nothing but white noise all around him, no distractions inside or out to hinder his concentration.

_Welcome to the Zone._

Even with Kuroko playing better than he ever did before, he still lost, but gained something valuable back in return. He should've been grateful to Akashi rather than remorseful of his loss, it was to be expected after all.

The pale-haired boy practically collapsed to the gymnasium floor after the adrenaline wore off. He was essentially drained of any energy his body contained, which was just another candid reminder of his limited stamina.

"You need to work on your stamina more," said Akashi, wiping the sweat off his face with a towel. "Though I'm surprised you lasted this long with your physical capabilities. You really are something."

"Thank you," said Kuroko breathily. "…I mean for your help. I really appreciate it."

"It's fine. It was for my own selfish reasons anyways." He took out a water bottle from his bag and tipped the opening to his mouth, letting cool liquid fall onto his tongue. Swallowing it down, he wiped the excess water from his chin. "I fully expect you to be there at the first auditorium tomorrow at practice."

Kuroko blinked. That was the auditorium used by the first-string regulars. "… Why?" He asked, even though his gut knew the answer.

"You belong to the first-string now." Akashi turned to him with a half-smile. "My assistance isn't free, surely you should've known that."

Obviously Kuroko didn't know that. But he guessed it was to be expected from a character such as Akashi's. "May I ask for one more favor?"

"You may try, but they're very limited."

Kuroko breathed in and out before saying, "Please teach me how to pass."

Akashi furrowed his brows. "…You already know how. What more do you need to know?"

It might've just been a spontaneous idea that came to mind with no certain outcome, but Kuroko felt that if it was anyone, it would be Akashi who could help him master this technique of his. He was the point guard and captain after all, so he should be the one with the most expertise in this field.

"I don't know…exactly what I'm going to do with it," admitted Kuroko honestly. "But I want to become someone who can unite the team together."

Akashi stared at him with unreadable eyes. "…If that's what you truly wish, then I have one condition." He leaned down to where Kuroko was sitting on the court to lock his eyes directly horizontal from his. "Don't ever play like you did just now. As long as you're on my team, I forbid you from revealing your true potential to anyone until I allow it."

Kuroko looked up in confusion. Why would Akashi want him to hide it? If anything, Kuroko presumed to be forced into action with a devilish training program courtesy of Akashi. There must've been a reason behind this condition, so Kuroko tried to ask, "Why –"

"Don't ask questions. Do you accept?"

This was all too suspicious for anyone reasonable to accept, but Kuroko felt himself be pushed to a decision by his own aspirations in mind. "…Yes."

The nefarious ambience that shrouded Akashi's countenance seemed to dissolve, and on it replaced a gratifying smile, though temporary. "Good. Tomorrow, meet me here again after practice. We'll waste no time in getting right into it."

Kuroko felt a shaky breath pass through his lips.

* * *

There were plenty of questions after the short but sweet introduction of the newly made member of the first-string, mostly from Aomine who literally had his jaw drop open when he saw it was Kuroko. Of course, everybody else was pretty curious, but most of them quickly lost interest or forgot about it. Murasakibara wasn't as shocked as everybody else and continued eating. Midorima was admittedly curious as to what Akashi saw in this weak guy, but his pride prevented him from prying.

Aomine's astonishment only lasted a short moment until he was beside himself with joy and proceeded to trap Kuroko into a bear hug. "You sneaky bastard, I knew you had it in you!"

Kuroko was overwhelmed by his delight and death-grip of a hug, he felt the air being squeezed out of his lungs. "Aomine-kun," gasped Kuroko in a quiet voice.

"Oh. Sorry." He backed away from the pale-haired boy but kept him at arm's length. "But seriously, what did you do to completely convince Akashi in one night?"

"I…" Kuroko drew a blank. He didn't think about how he'd explain to others about this. "…was just myself." And it was the genuine truth.

The training sessions with Akashi were every day after regular practice ended, including weekends. Of course, this meant Kuroko could no longer make it to the daily practices with Aomine, but he managed to make the most of it during actual practice hours now that they were on the same string. As expected, the famed captain of Teikou was no light coach and Kuroko always found himself drained to the point of death by the time he got home. Despite that, he felt a sort of satisfaction he hadn't felt in a while. This was what basketball was about, growing and testing your limits.

Day by day, Kuroko's skill was progressively improving.

The first year the Teikou basketball team made its debut, they overtook all the other teams with a staggering force.

Kuroko, who became an essential part of this force, couldn't have felt more satisfied with basketball right now.

By the time they transitioned into their second year, Teikou's middle school basketball team earned quite the reputation with the title of "Generation of Miracles."

Kuroko had yet to show his other abilities to anyone else, excluding Murasakibara and Akashi who already knew.

In the spring, there was news of a talented newcomer storming through the basketball club. It was around this time when Akashi approached Kuroko with a request. (More like an order if it's coming from Akashi).

"There's a second-year who joined recently, he'll make it to the first-string quite soon," he said naturally. "When that time comes, I want you to be in charge of instructing him."

There was no question of refusal on Kuroko's part, but even so he didn't mind. Kuroko was probably the one with the most teaching ability out of all of them. Akashi was less of an instructor and more of a sergeant who bent you to his will.

So came Kise and Kuroko's long awaited reunion.

"Kurokocchi?"

The pale-haired boy turned at the call of the ridiculous nickname only one person ever used. "Kise-kun, long time no see."

Kise wore a look of shock beyond belief, as if he saw a ghost materialize in front of him. None of the other members paid them any attention since it wasn't anything short of usual with Kuroko around.

"You're…Kurokocchi, right? How – when were you at this school?"

"Um… Since the beginning of first year."

There was to be plenty more inquiries and explanations to be exchanged between the two of them later, but for now, Kise just threw his arms around Kuroko's tiny frame and squeezed him tight. "Why didn't you tell me earlier? How could you, you're so meean ~ Ohh, but the fact that we're meeting like this must be fate!" Somewhere in the distance, Midorima's lucky item of the day broke and fell into a sewer drain.

Kuroko made a mildly uncomfortable face. Damn these tall people all far surpassing him in size and taking advantage of that.

"Wait, you and Tetsu know each other?" Aomine stopped mid-shooting as he turned to the pair.

"Wha – Aominecchi, how are you already on a first nickname basis?" Kise cried out in jealousy, still not letting go of Kuroko.

"Kise-kun, please let me go," muffled Kuroko from suffocation.

The blonde regrettably released the smaller, while still keeping him at close distance.

"Well, if you really must know, Kurokocchi and I have known each other since we were kids!" Kise patted Kuroko's shoulder smugly, to which the smaller coldly brushed off.

"Really? He never mentioned you," said Aomine bluntly.

A jolt of shock ran through Kise's frame. "Ehh? But Kurokocchi and I were so close! I used to watch him play basketball all the time, he was the a -"

Just then, before his sentence was finished, a basketball flew out of nowhere and hit Kise square in his beautiful model face.

The whole auditorium fell silent as Kise staggered on his feet and the perpetrator stepped into the building.

"Ah, I apologize. I wasn't properly looking." Akashi strolled in with a smile that was clearly not apologetic.

_He wasn't looking? Then what was he aiming for with that throw? _Was what the entire first-string group was thinking.

"Oh my, is that blood? Kuroko," the red-head motioned to the boy with a nod. "Take Kise here to the infirmary."

Kuroko complied and proceeded to support a much too quiet Kise with blood running down his face. "Come on, Kise-kun."

"Oi, wouldn't it be better for me to go? I don't think Kuroko can hold up Kise by himself," said Aomine at the sight of Kuroko's already unsteady legs.

"No. I need you for something else." Akashi shot Kise and Kuroko an icy glare that only lasted a split second. "Go on."

Kise was shouting in pain with tears running down his cheeks as Kuroko escorted him out of the premises.

"Oww ow…Akashicchi is too much." His words were muffled by his hand covering the blood flow.

"…Kise-kun," began Kuroko. "My basketball is…different from before."

"Hm?" The blonde was only half paying attention with the other half too preoccupied with pain.

"You'll understand at practice. I'm not the same as I was before."

Once Kise's minor injuries were healed, he went back to practice with the first-string the next day. There, he watched Kuroko with anticipation at how much the boy had grown from the basketball prodigy he was as a child.

Kise was left dumbstruck after seeing the extent of Kuroko's performance. At first he thought a joke was deliberately being played on him, so Kise went up to the pale-haired boy after practice was done and clean-up was left to the new members.

"Kuroko…What are you doing?" Kise was so astonished that he forgot to add his pet ending.

"Hm?" Kuroko looked up.

"Why are you playing like that? You never played like that – no, you were a hundred times better! Yet, why are you holding –"

Kuroko cut him off by firmly pressing his palm against the other's lips. "Because, that was the deal."

Kise made a disgruntled noise in confusion.

"I can explain it to you later if you want. But it's easier if you accept the fact that this is how I am now."

The blonde furrowed his brows with the topic not getting any clearer, but couldn't get out of his mind that Kuroko's hand was on his lips. With just a flick of his tongue, he could taste Kuroko's skin, but Kise knew better than to do that now.

Apparantly Akashi had a little persuasive talk with Kise after that, so the blonde didn't bring up the topic of the sudden drop in Kuroko's skill anymore. But he still couldn't understand how Kuroko managed to be a regular if he was posing as a terrible player.

Kise kept all these thoughts bottled up until eventually they exploded out. "I can't accept this!"

"Huh?" Aomine said at the sudden outburst.

"Why the hell is he a regular?" Kise shouted, pointing at the regular in question. If Kuroko was supposedly such a bad player, why was he even a regular? Wasn't that a bit obnoxious of him? To everybody else who was working so hard, Kuroko puts on an act as if he's so much better than everyone else that he doesn't need to show his true potential.

"If we two were to play against each other, who do you think would win?" The blonde blurted out. Even with Kise aware of Kuroko's amazing talent in basketball, there had to be a reason he was acting like this now. Maybe the boy really did get weaker. Nevertheless, Kise finally found a challenge in basketball and wanted to excel further as a regular. Even if it was Kuroko, he wasn't going to let anything stand in his way. Kise was truly confident in his basketball skills and felt that he could beat Kuroko either way now.

"That would be… you?" Aomine said naturally.

"Then, why…"

"He's different. The total opposite of you and me," said Aomine with a slight smile. "And he's really reliable in a game. You'll come to see how amazing he is."

_Huuh? _Did Aomine know then of Kuroko's true abilities?

Before he could ask any further, Midorima showed up with an order from Akashi for Kise and Kuroko to participate in a match with the second string. So Kise, seeing this as an opportunity, decided to try and make a deal.

"Kuroko-kun, I have an idea…" Kise said as they walked side by side to the opponent's school.

"What is it?" Kuroko didn't ever inquire why Kise stopped giving him his usual nickname.

"If it happens that we get on the court in this game, want to see if you can score more points?" Kise smiled faintly. "And if I win, I get your uniform." A quick way of obtaining a spot on the regulars, but the thought of challenging Kuroko shook him with an exhilarating wave. Kise challenged Murasakibara once before out of old-time's sake and got obliterated in the process. Would the powerless Kuroko give him the same kind of treatment?

"Don't wanna… But what if we lose the game?"

"We still could count the poin – wait, 'don't wanna?'" So much for the plan.

"It's pointless," stated Kuroko simply. "It's not my style, but I'm kinda an instructor, so let me say something." Kise was a good player; Kuroko knew that from the start. But he didn't want to see his old friend turn into the sort of conceited player Kuroko almost became.

"What is most important for the team is that you think what you should do for the team." It was something Kuroko identified himself with since he was carrying it out right now. There was no use for self-centered thinking in a team; it was all about becoming strong to support your comrades. "But I acknowledge your enthusiasm." Kuroko hoped Kise would become a regular soon so they could play on the same court together.

The opposing team was fairly strong, relying on their powerhouse skills to break through any defense. Plus, the referee was shady in favor of the opponents, so Teikou was losing pretty badly even with Kise on the court.

"Player change for Teikou."

There was a scatter of confused murmurs among the audience, even outbursts of mockery at their new change in.

Kuroko went up to Kise. "Sorry, please help me."

"Eh? Shouldn't I be the one saying that?" But he wondered, with such a large point gap, would Kuroko finally shine to save them?

"I'm in the shadows," Kuroko corrected his teammate. "The light taking the points will be you, Kise-kun."

A lot of the time, Kise wished people would stop speaking in such riddling terms.

As the game progressed, Kuroko's power became increasingly clearer to Kise and the points were accumulating in their favor. With the assistance of Kuroko's passes, they eventually won the game by two points. Although the whole time, Kise was waiting for the boy to score a point himself, but he didn't. Despite that, Kuroko wasn't weak at all, if anything, he had grown stronger.

"I think… I got a bit of what you said. But still not everything," said Kise while they were walking home after the game. "The part about what one should do is alright, but sacrificing oneself for it? I can't agree with that!" This new style of Kuroko's was incredible, but to someone as skilled as him, it couldn't be as enjoyable as using your true ability to the fullest.

"I know you're amazing, Kurokocchi… But is it fun to play like that?"

Kuroko considered the question for a short moment. The short boy never thought of it as a sacrifice, he was the one who wished for it after all, a method of supporting his team so that he could play for the sake of his teammates. And he was happy with his role, no matter how limited it may seem. So he answered truthfully, "It's not."

"But losing is even less fun," said Kuroko with a slight smile.

* * *

Later on, Haizaki was kicked out of the team and replaced with Kise who was so exuberant with joy that he invited all the regulars plus the manager out to a celebratory dinner.

"Hosting your own welcoming party? That's rather pathetic," said Midorima while pushing up his glasses.

"Hey, that's mean!" Kise whined. "And this isn't just _my _party, this is to signify the fact that our team is finally complete!"

"Hm? But… weren't we complete before?" Murasakibara cocked his head.

"No, because you didn't have _me _on your team before!" Kise laughed triumphantly and nobody else joined him.

Aomine kicked him. "Shut up, Kise."

There was a quarrel amongst the members on where to eat since Akashi surprisingly allowed them to choose. Eventually they all grew too hungry to argue so they went to the nearest restaurant which was a Korean barbeque place.

"What kind of meat should we order?"

"Get the most expensive one since Kise's paying anyways."

"Hey! Who said I was treating you guys?"

"What? Then why the hell did you invite us out? I didn't bring any money!"

"Jeez, Dai-chan, I told you it wasn't a free meal."

"Hey, Satsuki –"

"I'm not lending you anything!"

"Can we get a plate of gyozas?"

"I heard the beef here is of high-quality."

"Seven orders of gyoza, please."

"Muk-kun, I don't want any gyozas."

"Oh. They're all for me."

"That's too much!"

"Midorimacchi, can you not hold that spray of rat poison so close to me?"

"But it's my lucky item of the day – ah."

"AH! He just sprayed some on Akashi's hair!"

Kuroko remained quiet in his seat as he skimmed through the menu. Even with all the noise and the amount of disturbance they were causing in the restaurant, Kuroko felt quite at peace. If this was what it meant to play basketball together in a team that respects one other, Kuroko didn't mind remaining the sixth man.

Aomine ruffled the boy's light blue hair. "You look happy," said the dark-skinned boy with a grin.

Kuroko didn't realize he was smiling. "…Do I?"

"Eh? Kurokocchi's happy because I'm finally a regular on the team? Kurokocchi ~ let's take a picture together and later you can come over to my place –"

"Get lost, Kise!" Aomine said, pushing the blonde's face out of the way.

In the end, they all paid equally except for Momoi who had to compensate for Aomine's share too.

The summer of their second year passed by like a blur, but there was something unsettling brewing that Kuroko could sense.

He felt uneasy about Aomine, his attitude was subtly changing before Kuroko even knew it. Aomine was blossoming farther than the rest of them. Maybe if Kuroko had taken the initiative to do something about it at an earlier stage, he would've been able to help his friend. But either way, he knew there was no stopping Aomine's escalating potential.

"Another dunk from Aomine! That's crazy, how many has it been so far?"

It was Aomine's forty-seventh point scored alone. He was playing against the other first-string players who weren't regulars, but were still considered formidable opponents in the standings. Aomine was crushing them like they were nothing.

The next day during practice, Aomine was a no show. It was hardly a surprise; it wasn't the first incident this year.

Kuroko approached Momoi after the warm-up exercises. "Momoi-san, do you know where Aomine-kun went off to?"

The pink-haired manager looked up at him with lips pursed, clearly contemplating whether or not to out her childhood friend. "He told me not to tell anyone… But I can't lie to you, Tetsu-kun." She tapped the cap of her pen against her clipboard full of information. "Maybe if it's you, he'll listen. I can't do anything for him now…"

Kuroko placed a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "You're doing everything you can right now."

She smiled sadly up at him.

Aomine turned out to be lazing around on the rooftop of the fourth auditorium. Before Kuroko even climbed up to the second level of the roof and was in Aomine's line of sight, the dark-skinned boy lying on his back muttered, "Satsuki told on me, didn't she?"

"I made her tell me," said Kuroko, defending Momoi.

Aomine snorted, since yeah, the idea of Kuroko interrogating someone for information was a bit ridiculous. "Don't worry, I'm not mad. But I guess that makes you look manlier, taking the blame for her and all." He sat up to face Kuroko. There were no signs of having slept around his eyes, so he wasn't napping up here.

Kuroko silently wondered if Aomine was starting to get used to his presence, if he was developing so far that his perceptible eye could even detect Kuroko. The pale-haired boy pulled himself up. "You shouldn't worry her so much."

"Let me guess, you're here to lecture me on not going to practice?"

Kuroko shook his head, sitting cross-legged. "I can't force you to do anything, nor lecture you on your behaviour." When Aomine raised his brows curiously, Kuroko said, "All I'm here to say is that I'm still going to practice."

"I told you, we're different. There's no point in me training if –"

"And that I'm going to wait for you," interrupted Kuroko smoothly. "With everyone until you decide to join us seriously again."

For a short pause, Aomine went silent, looking past Kuroko with an unreadable gaze. Whether he was going to laugh or dismiss his words, Kuroko didn't know or care. It was just something he needed to say.

"I almost regret it," confessed Aomine. "All those hours training so hard to get stronger, if I knew it was going to turn out this way."

"It would've eventually reached this point anyways," said Kuroko. No matter how much Aomine could've delayed his growth, his strength wasn't something that could simply be stunted.

"Yeah…" Aomine scratched idly underneath his collar. "Man, I just wish that person you said who'd beat me would show up already. I'm starting to wonder if that person even exists."

Kuroko pondered who '_that person_' Aomine was referring to when he recalled back to what he said before. "…I'm sure that person will come."

"Starting to doubt that," said Aomine, declining his body to the side to rest his head on Kuroko's lap.

If Aomine didn't have his eyes closed, he would see Kuroko visibly tensing up and squaring his shoulders. "What are you doing?"

"Sleeping, what does it look like?" Aomine muttered. "Might as well skip with me, as long as you're here."

Kuroko shifted his upper body uncomfortably, surprisingly careful not to move his legs. "I have to get back to practice," his voice came out just a pitch too high, but thankfully Aomine didn't seem to notice it.

"You're always practicing," said Aomine through a yawn. "S'good to take a break once in a while."

"I'm not like you, I…" He trailed off, pausing for a beat. The pale-haired boy stared down at Aomine's face, regarding the other distantly. "...Maybe that person's already here," he mumbled to himself.

"Hn?" Aomine grunted with a lack of energy.

Kuroko scraped his fingernails against the pavement beneath him before answering, "…No, it's nothing." But Aomine was already asleep and snoring lightly before Kuroko could convince him to find another alternative as a pillow, as he had practice to get to. So Kuroko figures it's not his fault when he has to stand up and let Aomine's head drop painfully against the rooftop.

If Aomine were to find a rival worthy of his skills, would he go back to the way he was? Back to the shining Aomine he looked up to so much, who loved basketball and gave his all for it. And if Kuroko became that person, possibly, could it amount to anything?

It was around then when Kuroko's father approached him with an inquiry. "Tetsuya, what do you think of moving to your mother's home in the countryside? Of course, you'd transfer to the local middle school, which I hear is quite lovely."

Kuroko immediately declined. He didn't want to leave the friends and team he had obtained behind. The life and basketball he built for himself, he was reluctant to just abandon it.

Although he wasn't aware of it then, Kuroko would eventually come to accept this offer. In his third year, when everything went haywire and fell apart at the seams, it would all go down.

After the championship in winter, Aomine abandoned his partnership with Kuroko and officially went solo.

Kuroko couldn't really be surprised; the signs all lead up to the point where Aomine would progress too far for anyone to keep up with him. It was perhaps inevitable, but it didn't stop from hurting when it actually did happen.

The spring of their third year, it seemed anything but a smooth transition.

They were all getting better, the Generation of Miracles were at the mere budding stage of their talent, but they would all blossom and flourish in the end, just like Aomine. Even Kuroko, training away from public eyes, was slowly rising up to a higher grade than before.

Kuroko came up to Akashi one day, after practice where no one was around.

"I want to challenge Aomine-kun."

Akashi was putting away his belongings in his locker. Without even sparing a glance, he said, "And you need my permission to?"

Kuroko felt a tad surprised and embarrassed. "It was part of the deal."

"You're right, it was," said Akashi with slight amusement. "You've been a good sport for holding true to it so far."

The pale-haired boy nodded. "The thing is, I think I'm ready to take on Aomine-kun now."

"And to what, defeat him so he'll return to the way he was before?"

"…That's part of my intention," said Kuroko slowly.

Akashi closed his locker shut. "I admit, Daiki's arrogance will eventually be his downfall. There's no victory without effort." He finally turned towards Kuroko. "But if you challenge him now, you'll probably lose."

"I'm willing to take that chance." Aomine was still a better player than Kuroko and there was a high possibility he'd lose, but Kuroko had confidence in his skills, no matter the odds.

"How noble," muttered Akashi, turning his back to Kuroko again as he packed up his bag. "You and I aren't the same kind of players as the rest of the Miracles, Tetsuya. One-on-ones aren't meant to be our specialty, especially with the advantage in height."

It was true, the other members seemed to have grown even more since the beginning of middle school, leaving Kuroko and Akashi stuck at average.

"Do you have a plan?" Akashi asked.

Kuroko answered with a silent _no_.

"So, instead of needlessly throwing your cover, why don't I suggest a better solution for you." Akashi slung his bag over his shoulder and proceeded to exit the locker room. Kuroko naturally followed behind. "In a one-on-one, you can't even put to use the misdirection pass you worked so hard to refine."

_I can't put to use my true potential by remaining a passive player either…_ Kuroko thought, which Akashi seemed to have read by the faint smile on his face.

"Tell me, Tetsuya, which high school are you applying for?"

Kuroko blinked. "I haven't thought about it." He honestly hadn't, it was never something he concerned himself with, mostly just left it up to his parents.

Akashi tsked in disapproval. "That's no good. It's a very important decision you have to consider. You want to join a strong school with a highly-esteemed reputation in basketball."

That didn't matter to Kuroko - the strength of the team - if the school was weak, then all he had to do was make them stronger. It was a simplistic way of thinking, but it was what he figured.

"I've already decided to join Rakuzan High." Of course, it's not that surprising for Akashi to choose the strongest high school basketball team in the nation. "I wanted you to come with me."

Kuroko nearly stopped walking, but instead turned to Akashi with a slightly alarmed expression. "Me? But why?"

"You're a more valuable player than you know," said Akashi easily. "Losing you would be a waste."

There were four other players who were just as valuable as him, so did that mean Akashi asked the rest of the team to attend Rakuzan too? Somehow, Kuroko doubted that. The tone in his captain's voice gave away something that said he solely desired Kuroko.

"…It's not one of my parents' choices. I'm sorry."

Akashi nodded. "That's fine. You don't have to apologize for something like that," he said with a faint chuckle. "In answer to your first question though, no, you won't be challenging Daiki anytime soon." With that, he walked off in a different direction from Kuroko and looked back with a smile. "See you tomorrow, Tetsuya."

Kuroko didn't know whether his answer to Akashi's offer determined the response to his own request, but he couldn't muster up the guts to ask so it remained a mystery.

The beginning of the winter tournament was awful in Kuroko's opinion.

Everybody had progressed so much in terms of basketball; matches started becoming a means to an end rather than a challenge to look forward to. Akashi even set up a quota for each of them to reach, excluding Kuroko of course. It was ridiculous how winning became a given instead of something to strive for. What was the point of playing basketball if it was like this?

Victory felt hollow, their individual ability shined against each other, but nothing tied them together. Even Kuroko, the operator of passes felt detached from everyone else, as though they were slowly fading into a different world from his. He felt his stomach churn. Kuroko was back exactly where he was in the beginning.

Perhaps then, something in him just snapped, because during the championship game of the summer tournament, Kuroko took the ball in his hands instead of normally passing it and performed a lay-up into the opponent's basket. The movement was so fluid and fast-paced that you had to be looking at Kuroko in the first place to have seen him move. He barely held the ball, and before anybody else realized it, the ball landed on the floor.

There weren't any cheers immediately, only scattered conversations of confusion. Nobody actually saw how that point was made, some people figured it was Midorima's famous three-pointer from the half-court, but it didn't truly matter because Teikou was already leading by an overwhelming number.

Kuroko was hesitant in turning around and facing his teammates' scrutiny. He tilted his head to the side and caught sight of Akashi's emotionless stare on the bench.

"That's the first time I've seen you make a basket." Aomine was the first to say something, striding up to Kuroko in mild shock. "You must've been training hard, huh?"

"Yes…I have." Kuroko noticed Murasakibara and Kise looking at him in familiar knowing. Momoi gaped at her crush as though he'd grown another arm. Midorima was just as caught off guard as Aomine, possibly even more since it was an especially unlucky day for Aquarius.

Kuroko's hands were shaking after scoring in public for the first time in a while. He didn't attempt any more shots after that. It might've had something to do with the constant overbearing gaze on his back from the bench.

If it's one thing you should know about Akashi Seijuro, it's that you should not break any deals made with him.

The day before the battle for the championship crown, Kuroko walked into the first-string gymnasium only to be greeted by all of the Teikou's regulars. They stood scattered around their captain standing in the center of the room with a basketball under his arm.

Kuroko looked around and saw none of the other club members. "Where is everyone else?"

"I decided it was a day off today, since you all went above the quota. Think of it as a reward," said Akashi.

"And yet we're all gathered here because Akashi wanted to show us something," complained Aomine.

"Correction, Tetsuya's going to show us something," said the captain with a humorless smile.

Kuroko had a bad feeling on where this was going.

"Tetsuya," Akashi passed the ball to Kuroko who caught it with both hands. "Go on. It's time to show everybody your true skills."

This wasn't a ruthless attack Akashi was aiming at him, if anything, Kuroko should be glad to finally let loose. But after such a long absence from actually playing basketball with other people, he was right to be nervous. Plus, all the eyes boring into him were making him awfully discomforted.

He fingered the bumpy surface of the ball gingerly, never taking his gaze off of its orange skin. After a while he said, "Alright."

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Aomine asked, frowning in irritation from being kept completely oblivious as to why he was here. "What the hell do you mean by 'true skills', Tetsu?"

The only other two who were oblivious as Aomine were Midorima and Momoi, and they appeared just as confused.

"It'll come clear soon," said Kuroko.

Akashi made him go through all the basic drills they normally went through at practice, since warming up was crucial for the body and the others already did it while waiting for Kuroko. He wasn't anything extraordinary at them, but he was significantly better than he normally was. There weren't many words spoken until the practice match started.

"Ryouta, you and Tetsuya will have a one-on-one. You could use the practice anyways," said Akashi.

"Me against Kurokocchi?" Kise repeated in case he heard wrong. "But – why now of all times…?"

"No questions. Just do it," ordered Akashi, turning to Kuroko. "Unless you have complaints."

"This is stupid! Tetsu can only pass – what are you thinking, Akashi?" Aomine shouted.

"No. This will be fine," said Kuroko, wiping the sweat off his chin.

Nobody, not even Kise, could've expected this outcome. Kise might've been the weakest out of the Generation of Miracles, but he was no pushover. It took more than just simple hard work to beat someone of his level. And yet, Kuroko managed to secure victory with a score of 21 – 29.

Everybody except Akashi stood slack jawed. "It's only to be expected, after all, Tetsuya is your weakness, Ryouta."

Kise looked drained both physically and emotionally, but he still wore this smug smile on his face. "Haha, but of course, that's the Kurokocchi I know."

Aomine was absolutely baffled and it showed everywhere. He gritted his teeth, stomping over to where Kuroko was bent over in exhaustion. Momoi tried to stop him but no physical force could prevent him from grabbing Kuroko's collar and pulling him up so he stood straight. "_What the hell did I just see_, Tetsu?"

"A basketball match," said Kuroko clearly.

"I _know that_," he hissed. "I'm more curious of the fact that you fucking beat Kise when you can't even shoot an unguarded lay-up." Everybody was staring at them now. "Either you went through some drastic changes, or you've been _lying_ to me," snarled Aomine, looking more furious than ever.

Kuroko couldn't even meet Aomine's gaze and he hated himself for it. "I haven't told you everything."

"_No shit_, why would you even –"

"That's enough, Daiki," interrupted Akashi with a clap of his hands. "Despite Tetsuya's reasons for wanting to hide his blossoming talent from the rest of us, what matters is that our strength has gotten that much more formidable with Tetsuya's weakness out of the way." He smiled. "But this revelation was not the purpose for which I gathered you all here. With all our truths out, I wanted to pledge upon the team an oath."

"An oath?" Midorima said.

"I figured committing it alongside a spectacular revelation such as the demonstration of Kuroko's true potential would give it more effect." Akashi paused to draw out a long glance over Kuroko. "Next year, as you know, we'll all probably divvy up and go our separate ways into high school. That means we'll be facing each other, a brawl amongst the Generation of Miracles. So I want to graduate with the guarantee that no matter what happens, despite all circumstances, winning is still the only thing that matters for everyone here."

A silence fell in the auditorium after Akashi spoke. Everybody was still suffering from the after effects of Kuroko's triumphant performance.

"That means you too, Tetsuya," said Akashi as his smile grew. "No more hiding from us anymore."

Kuroko didn't tear his gaze away from the captain's, taking any excuse not to look at Aomine. He was afraid what his expression would behold, after lying to him so blatantly all this time.

"I swear," spoke Aomine first. "I won't be beaten." He said it so casually to the group, with his back to Kuroko. "Especially not by some brat who fakes it."

Aomine turned to leave, but Kuroko tried to block him. "Aomine-kun, please…"

"_Get the fuck out of my way_, Tetsu." He was seething, it was so clear in his face. The rage and _disappointment_. "You're the one who told me never to hold back for some moral bullshit code of yours. And then I learn you're a goddamn hypocrite to your own principles. So don't try spouting anymore of your crap to me." He leaned down to glare at Kuroko dead in the eye. "_You want me to believe you, show it through your basketball_," breathed out Aomine in a harsh whisper before stomping past his former shadow.

Kuroko didn't expect his reaction to turn out this way, but then again, Aomine had developed far from his past self when he loved basketball to the core. Momoi casted an apologetic frown at Kuroko before running after her childhood friend.

Kise was the next to say something after being beaten by his instructor. "Darn – I was so uncool in front of Kurokocchi." He panted a laugh. "But yeah, I'm part of whatever pact we're making between us. I'm not one to lose a second time after all." He threw a grin in Kuroko's direction. Then he left.

Midorima seemed to frown disapprovingly at the quiet sixth player. "…I'm not sure of your reasons behind hiding your talent, but I'm guessing the only other player who wasn't aware of this was Aomine." He looked between Akashi and Murasakibara for a split second. "It's quite palpable that I already live by that oath. I'll say nothing more except that Kuroko…you've been wasting your potential." He left with his lucky item of the day clutched in his hand.

Murasakibara ruffled his hair on the way out and didn't utter a word.

Akashi approached him and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. Leaning down to whisper in his ear, he said, "Don't go breaking the oath, Tetsuya. But then again, you can hardly escape from it either way." Akashi left satisfied.

Kuroko didn't know whether to feel refreshed from taking this weight off his shoulders, or dejected by the fact that from this point on, he no longer was the phantom sixth player. He was just like the other Generation of Miracles, individually gifted in basketball. It should've been something to be happy about, to finally play giving it his all instead of just passing. But what was the reason he started passing in the first place? To be able to become someone who could unite the team.

But looking at the state of their team now, could he say that he improved anything?

Everyone scattered with this assurance of victory. This oath forever embedded in their memory.

Kuroko wanted to run away. So he did the closest thing and went for a run around the neighborhood to clear his thoughts, even though it was freezing cold.

It used to be all so perfect, everything in his life felt just _right_ for once. But time passed and people grew and before he knew it, the comrades he cared for drifted away. Aomine drifted away, and when Kuroko thought he could reach him again with the truth, Aomine just feels farther gone. But thinking about it now, Kuroko doesn't blame Aomine for his reaction. Kuroko, who constantly went on about playing at your best and being true to yourself, lied to Aomine for the whole time they knew each other.

It was then he realized, if Kuroko had challenged Aomine at the state he was in now, he would've lost. Aomine knew that too, that's why he said those words before he left.

By the time he ran a full lap around his neighborhood, his face and fingers were numb from the cold, but he reached finality.

His father was just hanging up the phone when Kuroko got home. He looked up at the sight of his son. "Oh, Tetsuya. That was your mother just now. She wanted to ask again if you would stay with her in the countryside. You can come to back to Tokyo for high school, but she wants you to live with her for the remainder of the year. I swear, that woman… You'll have entrance exams soon and she asks this now of all times. So unreasonable."

"I'll go," answered Kuroko. "Just for the remainder of the year."

* * *

"Aka-chin, why'd you decide to take an oath all of a sudden?" Murasakibara asked.

"You mean to ask, why did I decide to out Tetsuya," said Akashi with a laugh when Murasakibara didn't answer. "It's okay, I can read it all over your face." He smiled amiably. "It's just as I said, I thought you guys would take the oath more seriously if it happened alongside something shocking. I honestly couldn't care less about Tetsuya's so-called real potential."

Murasakibara furrowed his brows.

"Let me tell you the most amazing thing about Tetsuya. It's not that he's an incredible basketball player – we're all above average players." He paused for a beat. "It's his misdirection passing skills that's got me hooked."

"What's speed when there's someone just as fast? What's height when there's someone taller? We all have specialities, but not something nobody else has." He smiled slightly, narrowing his eyes. "I've never heard of a specialist such as Tetsuya. To think he even thought of it himself…He could take it to even greater heights."

"Hm? Does that mean you'll keep teaching him?" Murasakibara cocked his head.

"…I'm someone who guarantees his own victory." Akashi looked up at the other with a smile. "That's how I win. Tetsuya…He's a dangerous fellow. If he makes the right choices…He'll eventually become an unstoppable force."

"Even against Aka-chin?"

"Yes. But that won't happen. Not on his own."

When the pair walked into the club room, the first thing Akashi noticed was the long envelope placed on the middle of the desk. Picking it up and sliding out the letter that was folded inside, he scanned the words, but smiled as soon as he saw the top title.

**Resignation Letter Form**

**Kuroko Tetsuya _ Class 3-C**

_I'm sorry it had to be today of all days to do this, but I don't think I'd be able to play in the match anyways. I have faith everyone can win without me. I had to think about this while running in near freezing weather, but I think I've come to the right decision for me. It was fun playing basketball with everyone, and there were a lot of good times. I doubt we will speak to each other again, since basketball was the only thing that tied us together. Since I broke my part of the deal, I feel I am no longer allowed a part of this team. I also agree with your oath but don't think I'll be around to fulfill it. I'm sorry. I wrote that twice but I do mean it. Goodbye._

_P.S. Aomine-kun still has my Mario game. Kise-kun still has my CDs, t-shirt, textbook, charger, etc. Murasakibara-kun owes me money for snacks. Momoi-san still has my used towel she never gave back. Midorima-kun did not borrow anything from me but I broke your doll. Sorry. Akashi-kun does not owe me anything, nor do I owe him. But to those who have it, please return my stuff. _

The letter ended just like that.

Akashi laughed aloud, to which Murasakibara gave him a strange look.

"It looks like the first choice he made was a right one."

The sound of the train clattering against the tracks lulled Kuroko strangely in a side-to-side motion, already swinging the stranger in the aisle across from him to sleep. He stared outside the windows, watching the scenery pass by in a repetitive manner. It was then Kuroko realized he forgot to put an address in his letter, so there was no way to get his stuff back. Too bad, he liked that Mario game.

He rested his head against the cold glass and watched his breath smoke up the clear surface. Some might consider his choice to be running away again, it probably looks that way to everyone. But it's better than just lifelessly grudging on in a place he knows he's lost.

Maybe one day, he'll find his way back to basketball again. Until then though, he was going to stop competing. Awaiting the day he found the right reason to return to it.

The trip to his mother's house made him think about the one they made to America when he was younger. It made him think about a boy he met there, whose face and name he couldn't quite remember because he was horrible with them. It didn't matter though, because Kuroko fell asleep after that, as the distance between him and his former light grew farther and farther apart.

**a.n/ **Finally done this whole Teikou arc. I decided to get it all done in one chapter instead of splitting it into two. This one was hard because towards the end I didn't know how I was going to make Kuroko leave, and I thought up different ideas but eventually went with this. A small part of Kise and Kuroko's dialogue was taken from the manga, because I liked what Kuroko said there.

Did you guys notice my favoritism with Akashi I hope not. Also I apologize for the serious lack of Midorima in about everything. I actually even forgot about Kagami while writing this.


End file.
